Lying Low
by JulzPadfootMoony
Summary: Sirius is told to 'Lie low at Lupin's' following the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament and the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. Remus takes his old friend in, but they both have some serious issues to resolve with each other.RL/SB make me fanart!
1. Lying Low at Lupin's

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Harry Potter series or the characters associated with. I'm simply having some fun with JK's creation!

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Well this is my very first Remus/Sirius fic! It is also my very first slash fic, period. I only have four chapters of the story written so far, so I'll be updating hopefully regularly. I'd really appreciate some reviews so that I know people are actually interested. WARNING: there is mature content in later chapters, earning the M rating! If you don't like slash/smut, then don't read!

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**Ch. 1  
Lying Low at Lupin's**

It had been a very hectic day. Sirius Black padded his way up the small staircase onto the landing of flat 103, stopping to stare at the door. A flood of memories assaulted his mind as he changed back into his human form. He took a deep breath, walked over to the beat-up door, and knocked very lightly.

The door clicked open and in the small gap appeared the worn and aged face of Remus Lupin. His gaze softened and a small, sad smile began to form on his lips.

"Sirius...Come in." he held the door open for Sirius and stepped back to allow him entry.

Sirius walked in and looked around the flat. It was exactly how he remembered it, though a few things had changed with the time. None of the furniture had been changed, however, and Sirius couldn't decide whether or not to be excited or sad because of it. He let out the breath he had held since he first knocked on the door. He turned to look at his old friend and lover, still able to recall in perfect memory what Remus had looked like as a teenager at Hogwarts.

"Dumbledore told me to lie low here for a little while. I'm sure you've heard what has happened. I need to be close to him, Remus...I can't leave him again." Sirius said quietly, trying to memorize this new, older Remus' face.

Remus nodded his head as he stared into Sirius' gaunt and worn face. His eyes locked with the familiar grey and for a minute, he was a teenager lost in love once more. Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes away and was once again brought back to being a middle-aged werewolf.

"Of course I heard. You can stay here as long as you want Sirius, that's not a problem." Remus smiled at Sirius. There was still a trace of sadness in his smile, which did not reach his eyes.

Sirius tried to smile back, but could only sigh in relief. He suddenly felt awkward, unsure of what to do next. He wanted so very much to rush forward and take Remus into his arms, but the fear of being pushed away was like glue to his feet.

"Thank you, Remus." he said, almost inaudibly. It felt so strange, yet so wonderful to be able to freely speak to Remus once more. Too bad words were seeming to fail him at the moment.

Remus noticed Sirius' awkward stance and could feel it too. He walked forward and placed a hand gently on Sirius sunken-in cheek and looked into those grey eyes once more. They were filled with pain, loss, and loneliness; something that was sure to be reflected in his own amber eyes.

"Come, let me make you some tea." Remus said, pulling his hand away from Sirius and walking towards the dingy little kitchen across the way from the living area.

Sirius bit his lip as Remus pulled away from him and headed towards the kitchen. He felt a sense of loss as Remus moved away, but pushed it away for now. Sirius followed Remus over to the kitchen and looked around. He let a smile reach his lips as he saw that Remus still had the dishes that James and Lily had first bought them when they rented the flat nearly sixteen years ago.

"This place hasn't changed very much." Sirius said, looking around at the familiar cabinets and dishes.

Remus let out a small chuckle as he lit the stove with his wand, heating up the teapot. He moved over to a cabinet where he pulled down two tea cups and saucers, which were bright red; A house-warming gift from James and Lily, so many years ago.

"Of course it hasn't; you know I don't like change." Remus poured the hot liquid into the two teacups and placed them on the saucers. He carried the cups of tea over to the kitchen table and sat down, motioning for Sirius to do the same.

Sirius followed Remus to the table and took the seat at the end of the table so that he could be closer to his old friend. He sipped at his tea and let the scolding hot liquid rush down his throat, warming his whole body. He sighed as he sat his cup back down, finally meeting Remus' amber-gold eyes once more. They were the same exact eyes that he had looked into in times of passion, happiness, and pain. The same eyes he thought about every day of his twelve years in Azkaban; the Dementors could not take this memory because it wasn't particularly a happy one. The same eyes he had rediscovered a year ago in his attempts to capture Peter and convince Harry that he was innocent. And in these same eyes, he saw the love he thought he had lost so many years ago.

"You look tired, Moony..." Sirius said quietly, detecting the exhaustion in the werewolf's face.

Remus sighed as he took a drink of tea and set his cup back down. He smiled at hearing his old nickname roll so smoothly off of Sirius' tongue once more. He let out a soft laugh as he leaned forward slightly in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

"I haven't heard that nickname in...almost fifteen years." Remus mused. He ran a hand through his slightly graying hair, studying Sirius once handsome face. Azkaban had taken such a huge toll on his old friend. "I am tired, Padfoot...More tired than you could ever know." Remus whispered sadly.

Sirius face broke out into his old charming smirk as he let out a bark like laugh. "Want to make a bet, Moony? I haven't slept properly in almost fourteen years..." his voice trailed off as he examined Remus' expression. "I'm sorry, you can probably relate just fine." Sirius said with a sad smile.

Remus chuckled humorlessly and nodded. What, did Sirius think he had been sleeping soundly the last fourteen years thinking that his lover had brought about the deaths of three of his best friends?

"We both need sleep. But first," Remus stood up and walked over to a closet where he pulled out a towel, and a clean set of pajamas. "You need a shower, my stinky friend." he said with a smirk.

Sirius laughed loudly, his own voice sounding strange to him. He had not laughed like that in years. "There's the old Moony." Sirius teased as he walked over and took the towel and clothes from Remus. "Thank you, my fine smelling friend." Sirius smirked.

Remus chuckled and shook his head lightly. It felt almost as if no time had passed. "You know where the shower is, Padfoot. Get a move on, would you?" Remus teased back nodding his head towards his bedroom, where the bathroom was located.

With a wink and a smirk, Sirius disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door with a thump. He sat his towel and clothes down on the bathroom counter while he stripped down naked. He had gained a little bit of weight since escaping Azkaban, but living off of rats wasn't very filling. He was still sickly skinny, and his skin seemed to have a dull brown to it, as if the dirt had permanently stained his body. Sirius turned the taps in the shower and felt goose-bumps rush through his body as he felt the warm water on his hand. He quickly stepped into the shower and turned the shower head on. The water was cold at first, but warmed up as he put his head full of long, tangled hair under the stream of water. He closed his eyes and let the water run down his body. Sirius had not had a proper shower in so long, he forgot what it had felt like. He stood for a long time, just savoring the water before he picked up a bar of soap and began to scrub his body. Half a bar of soap and at least 20 gallons of murky brown water later, Sirius washed his hair as best he could before turning the water off and stepping out. He dried himself off and tied the towel around his waist.

"Scissors...I need scissors..." Sirius muttered as he looked through the drawers in the bathroom. In the very bottom drawer, he spotted a pair of silver hair clipping scissors and grabbed them at once. He grabbed his clothes and walked out of the bathroom, still only in a towel.

Remus, who was lying on his bed in his pajamas and reading, looked up as the bathroom door opened. Sirius was standing in the doorway in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He had the pajamas Remus had lent him rolled up under one arm, and a pair of gleaming silver scissors held up in the other hand, a smirk on his face.

"Moony, I need a haircut." Sirius said shortly, an expectant look on his face.

Remus laughed hard as he closed his book and stood up. "I'm no barber, Padfoot, but I'll do what I can." Remus pulled his desk chair around and pointed at it. "Sit, and give me those scissors."

A half hour later, there was a huge pile of black matted hair lying on the floor around the chair Sirius was sitting in. With one final snip of hair in the front, Remus brushed the loose hair away from Sirius face and stepped back to admire his work. It was pretty damn good for not being trained in the field of haircutting. "I'm good..." Remus mused, eyeing Sirius with a smirk.

Sirius smiled and stood up quickly from the chair, rushing into the bathroom and looking at his new hair in the mirror. It was near shoulder length, with bangs cut shorter around his eyes, just long enough to fall into his field of vision in what was supposed to be a dashing and sexy way. With a wide smirk he ran his finger through his raven locks, marveling at how close it felt to his old, perfect hair from his Hogwarts years. In fact, it looked almost exactly the way he used to wear it at Hogwarts. He felt a pang in his chest as he realized that Remus must have memorized what his hair had looked like, and cut it to look like it had in his memory. He walked out of the bathroom, still lightly playing with his hair.

"It's perfect, Moony. I love it!" Sirius said, unable to stop himself from smiling.

Remus vanished all of the cut away hair with a flick on his wand and returned the chair to its normal spot. He looked up at Sirius and smiled, now recognizing the old Sirius. "You're very welcome, Padfoot. Now put some clothes on." Remus chuckled at Sirius' still near-naked state.

Sirius looked down at his towel-clad body and the change of clothes still in his arms. "Oh yeah, right." he turned back to the bathroom and quickly pulled on the clothes. They were a bit big on him, which was definitely different. Sirius had always been a bit larger than Remus, but assumed that Remus would surely be the larger one after Sirius' dramatic weight loss in prison. Sirius also noticed that the pants were a lot longer than Sirius' normally would have been, and he was almost positive he had not shrunk while in Azkaban.

"Wow, Rem. You must have gotten a lot taller." Sirius said as he walked out of the bathroom, the extra material almost covering his feet completely.

Remus crossed his arms over his chest as he examined Sirius in his clothes. They looked baggy and much too long for him. He chuckled at Sirius' comment. "Sirius, had you not noticed that I'm nearly a foot and a half taller than you now?" Remus teased.

Sirius looked up at Remus and his mouth fell open lightly. He was at least a foot and a half shorter than Remus. He hadn't even realized it. "Well hell, that's not right. I'm supposed to be the taller one. You weren't supposed to grow anymore!" Sirius said in mock hurt, though his smirk gave him away.

Remus shook his head lightly and smiled. It was almost as if he had his best friend back, which in a sense, he did. "I'm sorry to disappoint, Padfoot. Werewolves grow for a longer length of time than normal teenagers. I was still growing at twenty-five." Remus explained, sitting back down on the edge of his bed.

Sirius walked over and sat down beside Remus on his old bed. He tried not to think about the many nights he had shared with Remus in that very bed before he had been imprisoned. "Hey, how old am I? I sort of lost track of time and well...I think I'm somewhere around thirty-four, but I'm not sure." Sirius frowned. It was a sad day when you could not remember how old you were.

Remus coughed lightly and sighed. Sirius didn't know how old he was? That was a very disconcerting and sad thought. "Sirius, you're thirty-five, as am I. Couldn't you have figured that out using the year of your birth and simply adding your age when you were imprisoned and the amount of years you stayed in Azkaban?" Remus asked, sounding very much like he used to in school when trying to explain a complicated spell to his friends.

Sirius shrugged and frowned, looking over at Remus sadly. "I don't even remember the year I was born, Remus...Being around the Dementors for so long has really screwed me up. So, that means I was born in...sixty?" Sirius asked as he did the math quickly in his head.

Remus nodded and smiled at Sirius, sighing quietly. "Yes, Sirius. We were both born in sixty." Remus felt very awkward telling a grown man what year he was born in and how old he was. It reminded him how very unfair life had been for Sirius. Remus checked his watch; two A.M.

"We should probably get some sleep, it's already two in the morning. Er...You're welcome to share the bed with me, or you can sleep on the sofa if you feel more comfortable that way. Whichever you want." Remus said, feeling slightly anxious. He wasn't sure if he was ready to share a bed with Sirius again just yet, but then again he longed to sleep next to the man beside him.

Sirius thought for a few seconds, looking into the Remus' eyes. There was an anxious air about him, yet that look in his eyes was one of longing. Sirius had always been able to read Remus like a book. "Do you mind if I sleep in the bed, Remus? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Sirius said quietly, hoping Remus would say he didn't mind.

Remus sighed and shook his head. He couldn't bare to make Sirius sleep on the sofa. "No, I wouldn't mind at all, Sirius." Remus whispered. In fact, I wish you would he thought to himself, but dared not speak it out loud. Remus did not want to rush things. He wanted Sirius to come to him when he was well and ready to restart whatever it was that they had before, if he even wanted to.

Sirius smiled lightly and placed a hand gently on Remus leg. "Thanks, Moony. I haven't slept in a real bed since...Well the last bed I slept in was this one, actually." Sirius said with a bark like laugh as he looked at comfy bed he was sitting on. Sirius stood up and walked over to the left side of the bed, where he used to sleep before. He noticed that it looked like nothing had touched that side of the bed in years. "Re-"

"_Finite Incantatum!_" Remus blushed a deep red as he pointed his wand at the left side of the bed. The charm he had placed on there many years ago lifted, and suddenly a spicy scent filled the air; Sirius' scent. Remus turned away from Sirius and crawled into his side of the bed, trying not to turn around and look back at Sirius.

Sirius stood staring down at the bed. He took a deep breath and smiled. He remembered that smell. It was an old cologne he used to wear before he was imprisoned. He looked over at Remus, who had his back turned to him. Remus had tried to keep the memory of Sirius alive for all those years. Sirius had always thought of the werewolf as a sentimental fool, but was deeply touched by that simple sentiment in many ways. Remus had wanted to keep the scent of him here, and the charm made it so that nobody else could have touched that side of the bed, meaning Remus had indeed slept alone for many long years.

Sirius crawled into the bed, which was warm and smelt like his cologne. It made him feel more at home than ever before, and he couldn't help but smile. He laid facing Remus' back, and reached out a hand to gently caress one of the werewolf's many scars across his neck. "Thank you, Moony..." Sirius whispered.

Remus shivered slightly at the feeling of Sirius touching one of his most sensitive scars and bit his lip. A tear rolled down from his eye and soaked into his pillow, which had seen many, many tears before. He let out a slow breath and blinked away a few tears. "No, thank you..." Remus whispered back without turning around to see Sirius' expression.

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**A/N:** I should have the next chapter up in a couple of days. Please review and let me know if the story is any good so far!


	2. Some Scars Run Deeper Than Others

**DISCLAIMER: **I **do not** own, I simply make JK's characters touch each other in oh so lovely ways XD!

**A/N: **Thank you so much to all who reviewed! I was surprised to get the few that I did get! My thanks go out to anyone who simply viewed it, even if you didn't review. Already over 100 hits and this is only the second chapter! Just to clear up any confusion, anything in italics is usually a flashback. Sometimes it's a dream, but I'll make it known if it's a dream or not. Enjoy and keep up the reviews!

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**Ch. 2  
Some Scars Run Deeper Than Others**

Sirius sat up slowly as the early morning sun shone through the curtains into his eyes. He looked around the room and felt oddly like he had gone back in time. He could hear slow, steady breathing next to him and turned to look at the scarred and graying man slumbering beside him. Sirius leaned against the headboard and watched the werewolf sleep, admiring the way his chest rose and fell with each breath, the color of his graying yet still golden hair, and the number of new scars across his face that Sirius didn't recognize. There was one particularly deep looking scar, running all the way down from the corner of his left eye to the curve of his jaw line. Then there were familiar scars, ones that he had memorized over the years. There were two long, straight scars traveling from the corner of his lips all the way to the middle of his cheeks. Sirius smiled as he remembered the importance of those scars...

_Sirius sat bolt upright from his bed, looking around the dark fifth year Gryffindor dorm. He pulled his curtain away just in time to see Remus drop onto his own bed, looking weak and tired. "Moony, you alright?" Sirius whispered from his bed.  
_

_Remus lay breathing very shallow, his eyes tightly closed. He couldn't bare to open his mouth and speak, but he had to tell Sirius he was alright. He decided to try to communicate through grunting rather than having to open his mouth. "Mhmm." he hummed, trying to make it sound like he was ok.  
_

_Sirius got up out of his bed and walked slowly over to Remus' four-poster. He stood at the edge of the bed, looking down at his friend. Remus was very pale and clammy looking. On closer inspection, Sirius saw the bandages on either side of Remus' mouth.  
_

_"Moony, what happened? Why are there bandages on your mouth?" Sirius asked in concern as he sat down on the bed beside the werewolf.  
_

_Remus opened his eyes to look over at Sirius. Surprisingly, he hadn't heard Sirius get up and walk over. He sat up slowly, feeling every muscle in his body ache. He reached up to his mouth and peeled the bandages away, exposing very raw and angry looking gashes stretching half way up both cheeks from the corners of his mouth.  
_

_"They're the usual wounds, but they're not healing very well this time...When I transform, the skin around my jaw rips to form the snout of the wolf. Usually it heals and doesn't leave a scar, but I guess it's happened so many times that they're refusing to heal now." Remus explained, his speech sounding a little bit slurred as he tried not to move his mouth so much.  
_

_Sirius' mouth opened slowly as he studied the horrible looking gashes across his friend's face. He had never thought about it in so much detail before, but the actual act of transforming must have been excruciatingly painful. Sirius didn't quite know what to say. What was he supposed to say? He had no idea how Remus felt, having never experienced any pain as severe as what Remus went through every month.  
_

_"Will they ever heal, Moony?" he asked quietly, still looking at the long, red gashes. There weren't bleeding, or open wounds, but they still looked very painful to say the least.  
_

_Remus sighed and nodded. He pulled out a small vial of pain potion from his pocket and quickly drank it. "Yes, they'll heal. There will still be faint scars, however. It'll only get worse with each full moon." Remus said sadly. These scars would be his undoing, he could see it now. They were tell tale signs of a werewolf, and people were bound to pick up on it.  
_

_Sirius bit his bottom lip in worry. He knew Remus was sensitive about his scars, and having scars that were so obvious would certainly upset him. Sirius reached out a hand to lightly trace the skin beside one of the slowly healing gashes.  
_

_"Does it hurt still?" Sirius whispered, not touching the inflamed skin directly, but just beside it.  
_

_Remus shivered lightly at the feeling of Sirius finger running across his skin. Instead of pain, he felt a dull tingle that he knew had nothing to do with scars or pain. "No, I've been taking pain potions, but it should be healed over by tomorrow. The scar will stay though..." He looked away from Sirius, concentrating instead on his pillow.  
_

_Sirius scooted a bit closer to Remus on the bed and put both his hands on Remus cheeks, forcing Remus to look back at him. He looked into the amber flecked eyes of his best friend and smiled lightly. He rubbed his thumbs very gently over the two scars, feeling the rough and hot skin. Sirius had always felt so horrible knowing what Remus went through every month, and having no power whatsoever to stop it.  
_

_"I promise that we'll figure this Animagus thing out, Remus. We'll do it, and then you won't have to go through any of this alone ever again. I promise." Sirius whispered, still looking into the amber-gold eyes and rubbing the scars.  
_

_Remus stared into Sirius eyes, which were silver instead of grey now. His eyes were filled with the promise and friendship Remus so desperately needed. "Thank you, Sirius. I'm so lucky to have found friends like you." Remus smiled very lightly and was pleased to feel that the pain in the scars had subsided, replaced by that same tingling sensation as Sirius rubbed the healing gashes. In fact, the tingling was actually sort of soothing.  
_

_Sirius pulled his thumbs away from the scars. He didn't quite know why he had done it, or what made him think it was a good idea, but he leaned forward and kissed each scar gently, still holding Remus' face in his hands. He pulled away, smiling. Sirius never gave a second thought to the fact that Remus was a boy, he didn't care, so long as Remus felt better.  
_

_Remus mouth opened a little in shock as Sirius leaned forward and kissed the scars. The tingling lingered so strong on the scars where Sirius' lips had touched, that Remus thought it would never fade. Without so much as a thought about what could happen afterwards, Remus closed the distance between himself and Sirius and pressed his lips gently to Sirius'.  
_

_Sirius was slightly taken aback by the abrupt kiss, but didn't pull away. He let Remus' lips press gently against his for a few seconds before returning the pressure and snaking a hand into Remus' golden-brown locks. He never stopped to think about who he was kissing. It felt so right to be kissing Remus, he dare didn't question it.  
_

_Remus pulled away reluctantly, the need to breathe becoming more and more desperate. He stayed very close to Sirius, still staring into the passion filled silver. After what felt like an eternity, Remus pulled away and lay back down on his bed, still looking up at Sirius.  
_

_Sirius sighed and started to stand up to go to his own bed. He was starting to feel worried. Maybe he shouldn't have kissed the scars, and then Remus wouldn't have kissed him. Their friendship might never be the same again. He was stopped by Remus' hand holding onto his wrist.  
_

_Remus gently held Sirius' wrist to keep him from moving away. For some reason, he could not bare to watch Sirius walk away. He felt like something would be lost if Sirius did not stay with him right then.  
_

_"Please, Sirius...Stay with me?" he asked quietly, frowning slightly. He felt embarrassed for even asking, but knew it was the right thing to do, deep down.  
_

_Sirius nodded as he sat back down on the bed, then pulled his legs up to lay down facing Remus. He lay his head on the pillow beside Remus' and looked into his golden-amber eyes. "Of course, Moony. Anything for you..." Sirius whispered, moving a strand of golden brown hair away from Remus' eyes. Something felt so right about laying there with Remus, though he knew he should feel awkward, having just kissed his best friend.  
_

_Remus smiled lightly as his eyes began to flutter shut from exhaustion. He could still feel the lingering tingle on his lips and cheeks where Sirius' lips had met his skin. He never wanted that feeling to go away, ever.  
_

"...Hello? Earth to Sirius, are you ok?" came the familiar yet sleepy sounding voice of Remus Lupin. He was looking up at Sirius, who sat staring at him for a long time, as if he was dreaming.

Sirius shook his head and looked down to see that Remus had woken up. "Oh, sorry Moony. Just...remembering something." Sirius said with a shy sort of smile. Remus looked adorable, his hair tussled and sticking up and his eyes still hazed with sleepiness.

Remus chuckled as he sat up, yawning and running a hand through his messy hair. "And I'm supposed to be the sentimental one, eh? What were you remembering?" Remus asked curiously, smiling at his friend.

Sirius flushed a little and looked away from Remus, unable to meet his startlingly golden eyes. "Er...Well...Our first kiss, actually." Sirius said quietly, smiling in spite of himself.

Remus' smile grew wide as he cocked his head to the side slightly. He raised an eyebrow, trying to get Sirius to look back at him. "What made you think about that?" Remus asked, knowing full well that Sirius' memory could had been jogged just by being in the flat once more.

Sirius looked back over to Remus, who had the cutest look of curiosity Sirius had ever seen on his face. He laughed lightly the reached out to touch the scars on either side of Remus' mouth the way he had done so many year ago. He rubbed the now-old scars gently as his expression became a bit more serious, no pun intended.

"These scars...They're still there." Sirius said quietly, finally meeting Remus' golden eyes.

Remus sighed as the tingling sensation traveled through his skin once more. He had not felt that familiar tingle in so long. "Of course they're still there, Padfoot. I told you that night that they'd never go away." Remus muttered, unable to look away. The memory of his very first kiss, not only with Sirius, but in general was very vivid in his memory. In fact, Sirius was the only person Remus had ever kissed.

Sirius nodded as he remembered what Remus had told him. The feeling of that kiss still lingered on his lips even now. "And do they still hurt?" he asked, rubbing the scars gently again.

Remus smiled and shook his head gently. "Actually, Sirius...They haven't hurt one bit since you kissed them that night." Remus said truthfully. The scars still ripped and healed on every full moon, but instead of causing excruciating pain, it sent a powerful tingle throughout his whole body.

Sirius bit his lip before quickly leaning forward and kissing Remus gently on the lips. "Good, I don't want them to hurt you." he whispered against Remus' lips.

Remus felt that same tingle rush through his body, starting at his lips and rushing all the way down to his toes. The feeling was so strong after so many years. He pulled away after a few seconds, feeling like he might explode from the tingling sensation if he didn't stop it. It was too soon, he wasn't ready to kiss Sirius again. "I'm sorry, Sirius...It's just too much still." Remus said quietly before getting up and heading into the bathroom without glancing back once.

Sirius sighed as Remus left him sitting on the bed, his heart torn between filling with joy and breaking. He shouldn't have kissed Remus, he knew it was too soon. He got out of bed and went into the kitchen. He made a pot of tea and was finishing cooking breakfast when Remus walked in, his hair wet and hanging in his eyes. Sirius tried not to look at Remus, who looked so unbelievably adorable after his shower. Sirius placed the eggs and bacon on two plates and carried them over to the table. He sat down and motioned for Remus to do the same.

Remus sat down across from Sirius and looked down at his breakfast. It had been years since Sirius had cooked for him, yet the eggs and bacon still formed a lopsided smiley face. Remus let out a chuckle, picking up his fork. He almost didn't want to eat it because he would destroy the sentiment.

Sirius heard Remus chuckle and smiled to himself. He had always managed to get a laugh out of Remus those many years ago by forming his food into odd shapes like hearts or smiley faces. Neither of them spoke a word as they ate their breakfast, that same tension still hanging between them, only it was a bit more intense now.

Sirius sat down his fork and finished his cup of tea. He noticed that Remus had not looked up a single time during the meal, and was starting to feel worried. Had he really upset Remus that much? "Look, Moony...I'm sorry, I know it was too soon and I shouldn't have d-"

Remus held up his hand to stop Sirius talking as he looked up from his plate finally. He shook his head and smiled gently. "It's ok, Sirius. There's no need to apologize. I just got a bit overwhelmed was all. It's so weird having you here, as if no time has passed. But the fact remains that time has passed, and there were so many years that I spent...I spent hating you, feeling so betrayed. I know you're innocent now, and that none of it was your fault, but I'm still getting over that shock." Remus paused, looking away from Sirius. He took a deep breath to settle his fast-beating heart. "I'm still trying to trust you again." he finished quietly.

Sirius felt a bit shocked by Remus' explanation. It wasn't his fault, he had been betrayed too! He was imprisoned for something he didn't do, and Remus was the one who felt betrayed? Sirius felt the anger rise in his chest, but tried to push it away. He did not want to fight with Remus. "I was betrayed too, Remus. But the difference is, I spent twelve years in Azkaban for it!" he spat, standing up from the table and walking back into the bedroom. He didn't close the door however. He did not have the right to lock Remus out of his own room. He sat down on the edge of the bed, breathing deeply as his anger was replaced with guilt for snapping at Remus.

Remus walked slowly into his bedroom and sat down on the bed beside Sirius, not quite looking at him. He sighed before shaking his head with a frown. "You don't understand what it was like Sirius. And please, just let me explain before you start ranting again. When I came back from my transformation, everyone was gone. Dumbledore came to me and told me the news of James' and Lily's death, then went on to tell me that Peter had hunted you down after finding out that you were the spy, and you killed him along with twelve muggles. He told me you were laughing hysterically when they took you away. What was I supposed to think, Sirius? From where I stood, you had ruined everything, killed all of our friends. You had betrayed my trust and broke my heart. You spent twelve years in Azkaban knowing the truth, knowing that you were innocent and the blood of your best friends was not on your hands. I spent twelve years thinking you had killed them all, alone, hurt and confused." Remus wiped away a stray tear and took a steadying breath. "Do you understand now? I spent all that time hating you because you had ruined my life. I had no way of knowing the truth, but you knew it all along. Can you imagine how it felt to hate the person you had fallen in love with so much that it hurt?" Remus whispered the last part, looking down at the ground.

Sirius was staring at Remus, his mouth hanging open. He had never thought about it that way before. He had always managed to keep his sanity because he had known all along that he was innocent, that he had done nothing wrong. Sirius never really realized how very alone Remus was, and how he had felt all those years thinking his lover had brought about the deaths of all of his friends, never knowing the truth. "I'm sorry...I never thought about it that way before." Sirius said quietly, frowning at Remus.

"I feel so guilty for not being able to trust you, for hating you for so long when it was never your fault. I hate myself for that..." Remus said as he met Sirius eyes once more. He knew he should trust him again, but after so many years of thinking that Sirius was guilty, he couldn't push away his unease.

Sirius moved closer to Remus and cupped his cheek gently, looking concerned. "It's not your fault, Remus, you had no way of knowing. Do not hate yourself for believing what everyone else thought was the truth as well. If it takes you forever to begin to trust me again, I will wait forever. Don't punish yourself." Sirius whispered, the love evident in his eyes.

Remus nodded and smiled a little as he wiped another tear away. "It won't take forever Sirius, but it will take some time. I promise, I will get over this." Remus reassured his raven-haired friend. He would try his hardest to rebuild his trust for Sirius, no matter what it took. He was determined to fix this once and for all.

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**A/N:** I hopeyou all liked this chapter! It's a bit longer than the first. They seem to get a bit longer with each chapter, but don't hold me to that. My average seems to be about 4000 words a chapter, but that can change quickly. Please review and let me know what you think! The next chapter should be up in a couple of days. I would simply post them all in one day, but then my posting would catch up to my writing, and that's not always a good thing. Writers block can attack at the most horrible moments. I'm rambling, sorry. R&R! Love y'all!


	3. Always and Forever

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DISCLAIMER:** I don't own, I just manipulate!

**A/N:** WOW! More than 300 hits already! This is so crazy! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, or just simply viewed the story. A HUGE thanks to my two Betas: _Wuff_ and _Pickles and Twigs. _Without them, this chapter would have been a LOT different. And also a big thanks to remuslives23, who helped me figure out the difference between 'bare' and 'bear' XD. Enjoy!

**WARNING:** There _**IS**_ some sexual content (woo hoo!), but there is a part that includes a little bit of non-consent. I'm sorry if this has made anybody uncomfortable. **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**. If don't like slash, don't read!

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Ch 3.  
Always and Forever

Sirius was lying down across the sofa in the living room, half-heartedly reading one of Remus' many books. He had nothing else to do, and Remus had been gone since very early that morning. Sirius glanced up at the clock; it was nearly six in the evening, and Remus had still not gotten back. Sirius was starting to feel restless and a tiny bit anxious. He had already spent a week and half living in his old flat with his old flat mate, and things were going ok. Sirius and Remus spent their time trying to rebuild their friendship. They had started to make a lot of progress, and it almost felt like things were back to normal. There was still a sort of tension between them every night when they would crawl into bed together, but it was comfortable enough the rest of the time.

Remus had been called out by Dumbledore to do some sort of work for the newly reinstated Order. Of course, Sirius was not allowed to exit the flat for any reason, so he stayed home while Remus went off on his mission. He had refused point blank to tell Sirius anything about what Dumbledore had asked him to do, saying that it was confidential for the time being. Sirius felt annoyed and a bit put out at not being included. Did Dumbledore still not trust him either?

Sirius closed the book with a snap and set it down on the coffee table. He stared up at the ceiling for a long time, sighing dramatically and shifting uncomfortably. Remus should have been back by now. He had said it wouldn't take all day, but it was now nearing seven o'clock and Sirius had not seen hyde nor hair of the werewolf. Just as Sirius had started to get up to make himself some dinner, Remus entered the flat carrying a few bags which bore the succulent scent of Chinese take-out.

Remus walked into the kitchen and set the bags of food down before turning back to Sirius. "I'm sorry it took so long, I had no idea how...difficult this work was. I brought food, I didn't feel like cooking or waiting for you to cook," Remus said with a smile. His hair was a bit messy and he looked thoroughly exhausted, though that seemed to be quite common these days.

Sirius smiled and shrugged, walking over to the table and pulling out the containers of food. He hadn't had take-out in so long, the food smelt ten times better than it probably tasted. "It's alright, Moony. Mmm, wow. Chinese food has never smelt so good before." Sirius smirked as he grabbed two plates and began to pile the food onto his own.

Remus chuckled as he sat down and served himself a lot less food than Sirius had dished himself. He waited until Sirius seemed satisfied with his amount of food and drink before speaking. "So, what have you been doing all day? Sorry that there's not much to do." Remus frowned a little, wondering what on earth Sirius _had_ done all day.

Sirius swallowed his mouth full of food and washed it down before answering. "Well first, I went back to sleep for another two hours or so. You woke me up entirely too early, you know. Then I showered and ate breakfast. That's when I ran out of things to do. So I read all day," he said with a sigh. "Really Moony, you need some more interesting books. 'Ten Thousand Ways To Brew A Healing Potion'? Come now, that's just not on." Sirius laughed lightly, smiling to let Remus know he was only teasing.

Remus laughed after swallowing his bite of food, which he had nearly spat out all over the table and Sirius. "I'm sorry my books seem boring to you, Padfoot. But that book is actually really useful." He smirked as he reached into the inside pocket of his robes. "I figured you wouldn't find any of my books very entertaining, and there's a chance that Dumbledore might be calling me away a few more times. So, I bought you this." Remus pulled out a medium sized book with a bright red cover and held it out to Sirius.

Sirius took the book and looked at the title: 'Instructional Journal'. Sirius raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Remus. "'Instructional Journal'? Are you implying that I am stupid enough to need instructions on how to keep a journal?" Sirius joked, though he still had no idea what the book was all about.

Remus laughed hard as he sat down his butterbeer. He recovered quickly, shaking his head. "Open it, you prat," was all he offered as he took another drink of his butterbeer, a smirk playing across his lips.

Sirius sighed exasperatedly and opened the front cover. The very first page had large scraggly letters written crooked across it, as if someone had hand written it there. 'WARNING: You WILL destroy this journal, so enjoy it while you can.'

Sirius sent Remus a confused glance before turning the next page. This had a long list of random items ranging from coffee grinds to a sharp dagger. At the top of the page it read 'Items You Will Need'. There were at least a hundred ludicrous items listed, though they were not numbered in any way. Sirius turned the next page:

'Spit, spill, wipe, or pour coffee onto this page.'

The next page:

'Stick a piece of already-chewed minty gum on this page.'

Again:

'Write on this page with only borrowed quills. Make sure to write where and who you got the quill from.'

Sirius flipped to the middle of the book and read a random page:

'Write a letter to your love interest--backwards.'

Sirius let out a laugh at last, flipping through a few more pages and reading more of the ridiculous instructions on each and every page. He now understood why Remus had bought him this particular book. It was quite entertaining, especially if you happened to be bored out of your skull and stuck in a flat by yourself.

"This is brilliant, Moony. You know me too well." Sirius let out a bark like laugh as he read a page that instructed him to color the page completely with a pink marker borrowed from an old lady. Some of it made no sense whatsoever, but he appreciated it all the same, and even more so because of it.

Remus laughed along with Sirius, knowing full well he had chosen the right book. Sirius was way too easily amused. "I knew you'd like it. Simple pleasures for simple minds," he teased as he finished his dinner and carried his plate over to the sink.

Sirius scoffed and tossed a noodle at the back of Remus head. "Oi, I'm not simple-minded! I'm easily entertained," Sirius said with a flip of his silky black hair. He loved playing around with Remus like this, it was almost as if they were back at Hogwarts.

Remus rinsed off his plate and walked over to take Sirius' now empty plate to the sink. "Oh, easily entertained indeed. Call it what you will, Padfoot. But a dog any other name is still a dog," Remus mused, purposely playing on the form of Sirius' Animagus. He had not had the enjoyment of taking the mickey out of Sirius for a long time. It felt good to be able to tease his friend back and forth once again. He was starting to feel a lot more comfortable with Sirius again, his trust was growing by the day.

Sirius stood up and pulled Remus to him from behind, tickling him lightly. He made sure the plate was in the sink before tackling Remus with much more enthusiastic tickling. He laughed mercilessly as Remus squirmed and shrieked.

Remus was laughing uncontrollably and trying to pry himself out of Sirius' hold. He was beyond ticklish, and couldn't control himself when being tickled. "Ahh! Padfoot! Ha-Stop!" he giggled and writhed, finally pulling away from Sirius and running into the living room to get away from his tickling fingers.

Sirius chased Remus into the living room, vaulting over the sofa and grabbing Remus from behind again. He lost his footing and pulled Remus down on the sofa with him, laughing hysterically and still tickling the werewolf. "Take it back, Moony. Say I'm not simple-minded," Sirius breathed between bouts of laughter. It felt wonderful to hear Remus laughing so hard again. He was sure Remus had not laughed this much in years.

Remus had tears of laughter in his eyes as he tried to push Sirius' hands away from his sides, almost unable to breathe for laughing. "Ah ha-Ok! You're not simple-minded!" he shouted through shrieks of laughter and shallow breaths.

Sirius finally relented his tickling, still holding lightly onto Remus' sides. He only just realized that he was leaning back on the sofa with Remus sprawled across his lap. "Damn right I'm not simple-minded," Sirius teased, finally getting his laughter under control.

Remus sat up, still sitting in Sirius' lap. He was trying to catch his breath as he wiped away his tears of laughter. He couldn't help but giggle at the messy look of his friend. "Oh Merlin... Look at us, Sirius. Grown men having a tickling war," he chuckled. He hadn't laughed that hard in so long. He had a feeling that Sirius was the only one who could have possibly made him laugh like that.

Sirius sighed as he let go of Remus to allow him to slide off of his lap. He knew Remus would start to feel uncomfortable after a while and didn't want to put him in an awkward position. Though things had gotten a lot less tense between himself and Remus, Sirius still felt like he had to earn Remus' trust back. They hadn't been quite this playful since Sirius had come to stay. "Grown men are perfectly allowed to have tickling wars." Sirius smirked.

Remus raised an eyebrow as he smiled. "Oh really, and this is some rule written somewhere?" Remus teased. He was still sitting on Sirius lap, but surprisingly it did not bother him as it would have before. This was certainly something new. He hadn't trusted himself to be this close to Sirius yet, but it felt normal again.

Sirius shrugged as he moved a lock of golden brown hair out of Remus' eyes. "Nah, it's not a rule. Just one of my many philosophies in life; Laugh while there's still something to laugh about," Sirius said quite truthfully. He had always thought of laughter as something important. He felt anxious as Remus continued to sit in his lap, making no means to move away. Was Remus beginning to trust him again?

Remus cocked his head to the side a little, smiling warmly. "Well, that's quite a nice philosophy, Padfoot. I think I'll take that one up as well." Remus bit his lip as he looked into the amused grey orbs that were Sirius' eyes. He loved seeing the laughter on Sirius still slightly haunted-looking face. He studied Sirius' face, taking in all the details, and stopping to look at his soft, pink lips. Remus felt the ghost of the tingle on his own lips, and suddenly had a very strong urge to feel the real thing again. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Sirius' lips, relishing in the tingle that shot through his body.

Sirius had not expected for Remus to kiss him. He gasped at first, not sure if he should kiss back or not. He did not want to risk losing whatever ground work he had built with Remus in the last couple of weeks. Unable to hold off any longer, he gently returned the pressure to Remus' soft lips. He raised a hand and slid his finger into the soft golden locks at the back of Remus' head, pulling him a bit closer.

Remus allowed himself to be pulled closer and cupped Sirius' cheek with his palm as he continued the kiss. Lightly parting his lips, he slid his tongue gently across Sirius' bottom lip, asking for entry.

Sirius parted his lips and allowed Remus to explore his mouth, loving the feeling of Remus' tongue sliding against his own. He deepened the kiss, adding more passion and force. The kiss seemed to last for days, and though it was a hungry and passionate kiss, it was still gentle and slow. Sirius pulled away, needing to catch his breath. He was shocked, however, when Remus began to kiss his jaw line and travel down to his neck, placing soft butterfly kisses on the sensitive flesh.

Remus kissed and nibbled the skin on Sirius' neck teasingly, and was rewarded with a few gasps and a reluctant moan deep down in Sirius' throat. He pulled away long enough to lie back on the sofa and pull Sirius on top of him by the collar. He caught Sirius' lips in a kiss once more, running a hand through his soft onyx hair. It felt wonderful having Sirius' comfortable weight on top of him once again. He felt a hand tugging at his belt buckle and suddenly the memory of the last time they had made love flashed into his mind...

_It was the night before Halloween and the full moon, and Remus and Sirius were sitting curled up together on the sofa, eating tons of candy and getting plastered on butter beer and firewhiskey. Things had been a bit rocky between the two lovers, but they still enjoyed each other's company on this night._

_"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you, Moony? I wouldn't mind. I don't like Halloween that much anyways," Sirius admitted, popping a chocolate into his mouth and running a hand through Remus' silky brown hair. Sirius had more of a desire to keep Remus within his line of vision then to actually be with him; if his suspicions were right, he couldn't afford to let the werewolf run free by himself._

_Remus shook his head. "No, I'll be fine by myself, Padfoot. Besides, it's Harry's first Halloween. Why don't you go over to James' and Lily's and celebrate with them?" Remus asked as he laid his head comfortably in Sirius' lap, looking up at his lover. Sirius had been really pushing the matter ever since Remus decided to go for his transformation alone. It was only one of the many weird questions Sirius had been asking him lately._

_Sirius shrugged and sighed. "James and Lily are so scared right now, Remus. They aren't going to take Harry Trick or Treating, Lily told me last week. They're just too worried that something will happen the moment they let their guard down. Do you realize they haven't left that house in a month?" Sirius said sadly, looking down at Remus. He was so beautiful, even though he was pale and peaky looking due to the approaching full moon. _Damn it, Sirius! What if he's the spy? Will he be beautiful then?_, Sirius thought to himself as he looked away from Remus._

_Remus frowned. Sirius seemed to be avoiding his gaze. He had not realized James and Lily were quite that paranoid. They were so frightened, Harry was going to miss his first Halloween. It was a very sad thought indeed. "Well, you could always just go over there to try to entertain Harry. Take him some candy to piss off Lily, I know you love doing that." Remus smirked, licking a lollipop innocently._

_Sirius leaned down and caught Remus' lips in a passionate kiss, the lollipop left abandoned on the floor now. The kiss was hungry, full of need. Sirius needed to show Remus that he didn't trust him, and that he was only staying with him because he needed him._

_Remus sat up slowly, never breaking the kiss. He pressed his lips back against his lover's, his breathing becoming heavy. This was completely random, but Remus didn't mind. He never noticed that Sirius was pressing a little too hard, or that he was digging his nails into Remus' back almost to the point of drawing blood. Sirius would never intentionally hurt him, right?_

_Sirius pulled away long enough to stand up and pull Remus up with him, pushing him suddenly and roughly against the wall and kissing him with bruising force. He took hold of Remus' wrists and pinned them tightly to the wall. He couldn't let Remus touch him the way he normally did, Sirius didn't want to feel that love right now. This wasn't love anymore, it was pure want, need, selfishness._

_Remus was surprised by Sirius' dominance, as Remus was usually the one to use force. He let Sirius be in control, however. Being submissive was a good thing sometimes. He wasn't aware that his wrists were now bruised from the force of Sirius holding him down, or that he had a slight bump on the back of his head where Sirius had roughly pushed him against the wall. It was all just part of the game, right? Because that's what it was now; a game._

_Sirius pulled Remus back into the bedroom and tore off the werewolf's shirt, tugging down his pants in a passionate haste. He threw Remus onto the bed, crawling on top of him after removing his own shirt and pants._

_There had been a time when they had kissed and touched for a long while before the act, simply exploring each other's bodies. That had been when they had still made love. They did not know at what point it had become only sex, want, or need. As Sirius roughly bit at Remus neck, chest, and stomach, it was painfully obvious that there was no love involved anymore._

_Remus gasped as Sirius left bite marks trailing down his body. Sirius had always been a gentle lover before, but now he didn't seem to care about how gentle or rough he was being. Remus ignored the change in behavior, losing himself in the moment. There was an odd air of finality about the situation, as if this was the last time they'd ever get to be this close to each other. If that was the case, Remus wanted to savor every second of it._

_Sirius pulled off Remus' boxers, not bothering to wait for Remus to lift his hips or help him in any way. Sirius moved down so that his mouth was just above the hot flesh of Remus' erection, blowing on it to tease the werewolf._

_Remus let out a moan as he felt Sirius' hot breathe ghost over his raging erection. He laced a hand into Sirius soft raven hair, tugging on it gently. "Please, Sirius...I need you..." he managed to breathe out. He hated when Sirius kept him waiting, but at the same time he loved it._

_Sirius pulled away and grabbed Remus wrists none to gently and pulled his hands away from his hair. He could not concentrate on not loving Remus when he was so blatantly being loved in return. He pinned his wrists down once more, keeping Remus from touching him at all.Remus was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable now. Sirius never restrained him during sex. It was always one of those things that they silently agreed not to do. They tried to share the dominance, not force themselves on each other. However, Remus let it go on, that sense of it being the last time still closing in on him._

_Sirius smirked at Remus lack of control. He knew he hated being forced into submission. It was a canine thing. He returned all of his attention back onto his lover's erection, licking the tip teasingly before looking back up at Remus for a reaction. He wanted to see some sort of pain, worry, hate- anything but love reflected in the amber gold._

_"Oh Merlin, Sirius...Don't stop, please..." he growled, thrusting his hips up back towards Sirius' warm and wet mouth. He was tugging a little bit against Sirius' grip on his wrists. He wanted to feel Sirius' hair, touch his skin, fell his warmth. Sirius grip was deathly tight, however, and there was no way Remus could pull away without hurting the man on top of him._

_"As you wish..." Sirius whispered before taking the full length of Remus into his mouth with ease and skill. He did not bother to keep his teeth from grazing against Remus, nor did he bother to add any of the loving touches he usually incorporated in a blow job._

_Remus gasped as the pleasure and pain of it all mingled together and sent him into a state of bliss. He was really starting to panic now, but his need for release was greater than his need for comfort, and he again let it all happen. He felt sickened with himself that he was letting Sirius do this to him, unwilling to push him away. He resolved to stop this before it got worse. "Sirius..." he whined, trying even harder to pull his wrists away._

_Sirius picked up the pace, sucking in his cheeks and dragging his tongue up and down the length of Remus' generously large erection. He ignored Remus' attempts to pull away, and kept on with the violent sucking. It actually made him excited to hear the reluctance in Remus' voice, and feel the desperation of Remus' struggling wrists._

_Remus felt his climax reach near breaking point as Sirius sucked him off, still not bothering to be gentle about it. He felt scared now, wanting nothing more than for Sirius to just let him go. "Sirius, please! You're hurting me..." Remus pleaded in a shaky voice, noticing now that his wrists were bruised, his head was aching from the recent bump, the sting of the nail marks on his back, and that Sirius was definitely pressing too hard. Sirius _did_ want to hurt him, and he was succeeding._

_Sirius continued to ignore Remus, feeling the tension building in the werewolf's groin. With one last lick, Remus exploded into his mouth, still writhing and struggling against Sirius' hands. Sirius pulled away at last, looking up to see that Remus had tears streaming down his cheeks, and was still trying to pull his wrists away. He stared down at the werewolf as he moved back up on the bed, still restraining him._

_Remus let out a moan of mixed pain and pleasure as he orgasmed. It was one of the only times Remus had ever _not_ wanted to feel his climax. He didn't want to feel pleasure, he just wanted Sirius to leave him alone. "Sirius, let go of me!" he yelled, trying his hardest not to use his extra strength provided by the wolf. Though Sirius was hurting him, he did not want to hurt Sirius._

_Sirius quickly released Remus' wrists, moving the sit on the bed and breathing deeply. He felt horrified. What had he done? He had hurt Remus, the person he loved more than anything in the world, and all because he thought he was some stupid spy. "Remus, I'm so sorry..." Sirius whispered as he reached out a hand towards the werewolf. Sirius just couldn't push away the feeling that Remus was the traitor, but he also couldn't push away his love for the man._

_Remus looked away from Sirius drying his eyes and rubbing his wrists. He knew it now, there was something definitely wrong. Sirius had never wanted to hurt him before, and Remus had always trusted that. Now as he lay looking slowly back over at his lover, he could see the suspicion, hear the accusation. He hated it, and wanted to feel the old Sirius again. The Sirius that made love to him, instead of the Sirius that only took pleasure from him._

_"Make love to me, Sirius...Like you used to," Remus whispered, reaching out for Sirius. It was wrong, foolish. He shouldn't be allowing Sirius to touch him, but he wanted to feel Sirius' love one last time. There was no mistaking it now; this was the end._

_Sirius frowned as he crawled slowly back on top of Remus. He did not restrain him this time, but bent down and kissed the werewolf tenderly. He felt disgusted with himself. How could he love someone who was selling them all out to Voldemort? But as Sirius kissed and touched Remus that night, he saw the man he loved deeply, the boy he had fallen in love with at fifteen, and not some traitor or spy; he just saw Remus._

_An hour later, Remus was laying with his head against Sirius chest, feeling sated and fully exhausted, yet there was a sadness about the whole situation. He kissed Sirius chest lightly as he looked up at his lover, who was watching him with half-lidded eyes. "I love you very much, you know that right? I'll always love you, no matter what," Remus whispered timidly, looking directly into Sirius' gray eyes, feeling as if he didn't say this now he wouldn't ever get to say it. It felt robotic, as if it were a requirement now. Remus' heart broke even further at the thought._

_Sirius pulled Remus up so that he could kiss him passionately, yet still with great gentleness. This was there goodbye, he could feel it in Remus' timid kiss. "I love you too, Remus...Always and Forever. Never forget that," Sirius whispered with an air of reluctance, but just enough truth to hide it, before letting himself drift off to sleep._

_Remus stayed awake for a long time, listening to Sirius breathe and trying to memorize the warmth of his skin. He didn't know what was to come. He didn't know if he could handle the suspicion or the mistrust in Sirius eyes anymore. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he had no idea that his world was about to turn upside down and fall apart around him._

_He didn't know._

_And that was the last time Remus had seen or spoken to Sirius before all hell broke loose._

Remus turned his head away as Sirius leaned down to kiss him again, still struggling with his belt buckle. Remus began to push Sirius off of him, feeling slightly shaken up. "Sirius, please..." Remus whispered, not looking up at Sirius.

Sirius quickly got up and off of Remus as he felt himself being pushed away, sitting down beside him on the edge of the sofa instead. He buried his face in his hands, mentally kicking himself. He knew he shouldn't have even kissed Remus back. He should have stopped this before it got any farther, but he let it happen anyways. "Damn it, Remus. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Stop Sirius, please. It's not your fault. I'm the one who started it," Remus said quietly as he sat up and put himself in a more dignified position. "I'm the one that should be sorry," he whispered. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. "Sirius, listen. I want to be with you more than you could possibly imagine, but every time something happens, or we get close, all I can think about is that last night we had together before...before they took you away from me. You thought it was me, that I was the spy," Remus said in a shaky voice, still not meeting Sirius' gaze.

Sirius sighed and shook his head. "I think I can quite easily imagine how much you want to be with me, Remus. And I keep thinking about it too...What we said, and what I did." Sirius lightly touched Remus hair as he let out another sigh. "I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I meant what I said about loving you, Remus. Every word of it and I still do," Sirius said, his voice firm and unwavering. He was still very much in love with Remus, no matter what had happened.

Remus nodded and finally looked at Sirius. "I know, Sirius. I meant it too, and of course I still do. But...You make me feel so vulnerable when I'm with you. You make me drop all my defenses, and I haven't allowed myself to do that in so long. It just scares me how much you can still affect me, even now. I haven't let myself love in so long, I've forgotten how powerful it is," Remus explained, not quite sure why this was bothering him so very much. It had been so long ago, but he still remembered it as if it had happened yesterday.

Sirius nodded and smiled sadly at Remus. "I guess I could understand what you mean. But you don't have to be frightened of me, Remus. I'm not going to hurt you this time, and I'll never leave you again, I can promise that much," Sirius said confidently. He would never allow himself to be taken away from Remus again, no matter what. He had let it happen once before, and never again would he give Remus up so easily. He would never hurt the man he loved again.

"You can't promise me that, Sirius. You have no idea of what could happen to either of us. I don't know if I could handle losing you again..." Remus said quietly. He stood up and walked into the kitchen, unable to just sit there while Sirius looked at him with so much hurt in his eyes. It was so foolish, what he had just said, but he couldn't help but feel it deep within his heart. If he ever had to go through losing Sirius again, he wouldn't survive the pain.

Sirius got up and followed Remus, standing a few feet away from him so as to not make him uncomfortable. He just stood there for a while, looking at Remus' back as he stood staring at the teapot. They stood in silence for a good ten minutes.

"Another one of my philosophies in life is that you should love without regret, because if you go on fearing what you may lose, you'll never have anything to gain," Sirius said quietly, not moving from his spot. Sirius had had a few moments of inspiration that he almost believed had been spoken by someone else through his own mouth. This was one of them.

Remus let out a relieved laugh as he turned around to look at Sirius. He couldn't help but smile at the man in front of him. Through all his blunder and mishaps, a few shining moments had burst through. Remus loved when Sirius had these epiphanies. "You always know what to say, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question. "You're right, Padfoot. You're always right." His heart was beating fast in his chest in anticipation and before he even knew what was happening, Remus had closed the space between himself and Sirius and pressed his lips lightly to Sirius'.

Sirius brought up a hand and gently cupped Remus cheek, kissing him back lovingly. He had wanted to feel those lips for so many years, and now that he had the chance, he wanted to savor the feeling. He let his other arm slip lightly around Remus' waist.

Remus pulled away reluctantly and broke the kiss. He stared into the fathomless gray eyes of his once-lover and felt his heart swell with a mixture of love and pain. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not, but it certainly felt damn good to kiss Sirius again after all those years.

"I missed you so much..." Remus whispered, running a hand through Sirius' raven black hair.

Sirius gulped and bit his lip gently. Remus looked so beautiful, even though he had aged prematurely. His golden amber eyes were bright and full of desire, and his smooth skin was so very warm. Sirius let out a shaky sigh, rubbing his thumb gently against Remus' cheek.

"I missed you too, Moony..." Sirius whispered before leaning in and kissing Remus again, this time much more passionately. This kiss was filled with desire, want, and most importantly- love. He tried to fill the kiss with fourteen years worth of undying love.

Remus pulled away from the passionate kiss only because he had to breathe. A tear slid down his cheek and onto Sirius' hand. "I love you, Sirius. I always have and always will..." Remus said as he leaned in and placed a tender kiss on Sirius' lips once more.

Sirius, too, had tears streaming down his cheeks. He could see the pain and love mixed up in Remus' beautiful eyes and felt his cold and broken heart start to warm and mend itself once more. Remus still loved him, after all these years and through all the lies; Remus still loved him. He couldn't believe he had ever thought that Remus was the spy, that he was responsible for James' and Lily's deaths. How could Sirius have thought the man he loved so much could have betrayed them all, betrayed him?

"I love you too, Remus..." Sirius choked out before embracing his lover in a tight hug.

Remus held Sirius close as they both silently cried. They mourned the loss of their friends, the loss of their happy lives, and the loss of each other. They had both been so very lonely and heart-broken for so many years, and now it finally seemed that they were being given a second chance for some happiness.

Sirius pulled away lightly and dried his tears, smiling at Remus. He was very tired, especially after a good cry. "Let's get some rest Moony."

They entered the bedroom and curled up together on the bed, Sirius resting his head on Remus' chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around his lover. "Goodnight, my love..." Sirius whispered tiredly.

Remus kissed the top of Sirius silken head and closed his eyes. He tightened his embrace on the fragile man in his arms as if afraid he might lose him during the night. "Goodnight, Padfoot," he whispered back before closing his eyes. He felt that familiar tingling sensation flood through his body. It was so intense it almost threatened to take him over, but this time he welcomed it. If he had to drown in that tingling sensation, so be it. As long as he stayed there in Sirius' arms, there was nothing that could break him now.

_

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**A/N: **Ok so the editor is being a bit retarded lol. Every time I tried to add a double space between phrases, it would delete half of the next phrase! I think I fixed everything, but I may have missed something. If you find any mistakes let me know! The spacing is a bit messed up, I know. Sorry, the stupid double spaces don't agree with me haha.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's actually my least favorite, but that's probably because I rewrote it 5 times lol. Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far. I'm currently working on chapter ten, and the end isn't in sight any time soon! lol. The updates may get a bit slower, however, because one of my betas is leaving for three weeks, leaving the job up to my other beta. Be patient my friends! If I wasn't so impatient myself, there'd still only be one chapter posted XD. Love y'all and keep the love flowing!


	4. Amor Vos Frater

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own, nor do I profit. If I did, Sirius would have touched Remus in naughty ways in Prisoner of Azkaban XD.

**A/N:** OMG! I am shocked with the amount of hits this tory is getting! It went from 326 hits on chapter two, to 675 hits on chapter three! I cried when I read some of the reviews and saw that I was listed in a C2 already! I'm really touched that some of you said you had cried or teared up during the flashback. That is one of the biggest honors of an author, evoking emotions in the readers. Thank you guys so much! A huge thanks to my beta's _Wuff_ and _Pickles and Twigs_ once more. Here's chapter four, enjoy!

**WARNING:** There is none! This chapter is on the mild side, so no need to fear!

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**Ch 4.  
****Amor Vos Frater**

_Knock knock knock.  
__  
_Remus looked up at the front door as the gentle knocking continued. Who on earth would be knocking on his door this late at night? It was nearly midnight. "Sirius, maybe you should transform, just in case," Remus said, feeling a bit nervous. He knew it was probably only an Order member, but he was still scared about Sirius being discovered. It was the night after the full moon and he wasn't feeling as horrible as he normally did. Having Sirius there with him when he transformed calmed the wolf a great deal.

Sirius frowned. He knew he had to keep himself hidden, but Remus was just outright paranoid. "Fine, I'll go in the back then." Sirius sighed as he made his way to the back bedroom, where he formed into the great black dog.

Remus stood from the sofa he had recently been curled up with Sirius on, and went to the door. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore. What brings you here so late?" Remus said as he allowed the old man entry. He was relieved to see his old Headmaster. Sirius didn't have to hide with Dumbledore here.

Albus Dumbledore smiled warmly at the werewolf as he entered the small flat. He looked around quickly, his eyes taking in the shabbiness of his surroundings. "Remus, my friend. I have a proposition for our mutual escaped prisoner," Dumbledore said with a soft chuckle and a twinkle in his eye. He flashed a knowing smile; it had finally come time to tell Sirius.

Remus laughed and nodded. "I'll go get him, sir." Remus walked to the back bedroom. He saw Padfoot lying on his bed, looking up and wagging his tail as Remus entered. "Come on, Padfoot, it's only Professor Dumbledore. He wants to speak with you. My bed better not smell like dog tonight," he teased with a smirk. He knew why Dumbledore had come, and was starting to feel a bit anxious about the whole plan.

Padfoot leapt off the bed and padded his way into the living room. He galloped up to Dumbledore and licked his hand affectionately before stepping back and turning back into his human form. "Hello, Albus, old man! Remus said you wanted to speak with me?" Sirius said as he smiled at the old wizard. He sat down on the sofa and motioned for Dumbledore to take the armchair across from him.

Dumbledore obligingly sat down and gratefully took the cup of tea being offered to him by Remus. He waited for Remus to sit down beside Sirius on the sofa before embarking on his proposition. "Well, as you both well know, the Order of The Phoenix has been reinstated and is in active duty once more." He waited for their nods of confirmation. "Now, things are starting to get a bit difficult. We have not been able to have a proper meeting since that fateful night nearly a month ago. I've been searching for a place to be deemed the Headquarters for the Order, but it has been extremely difficult," Dumbledore explained. He took a sip of his tea, waiting for some reaction from the two men.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, frowning in concentration. "I'm not sure I understand what this has to do with me, sir. I obviously have nothing to offer you, especially some sort of Headquarters," Sirius said, a little more bitterly then he had planned on.

Dumbledore smiled and chuckled lightly. "Oh but you do, Sirius. It has come to my attention that since the death of your late mother, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place has been transferred to your estate. Your parents did not deem anyone as the beneficiary of the house in their will, therefore it goes to the oldest living Black family member. The house is yours, Sirius," Dumbledore said softly, leaning forward slightly.

Sirius' jaw dropped as he stared at the old man. The house he had grown up in, up until he was sixteen, the house his parents were so hell-bent on never giving to Sirius, was his? Well, he didn't want it. He couldn't stand the place and he had vowed to never step foot in that wretched house ever again. "You can have it, do whatever you want with it. I have no use for it," Sirius said quickly, looking away from Dumbledore. He caught Remus' eye and saw that he looked slightly worried. Had Remus known this all along?

Dumbledore nodded slowly, absently twisting the bottom of his beard between his fingers. "This is where the difficult part ensues. I know that you have made yourself quite comfortable here with Remus, Sirius, but the fact remains that you are not safe from being found. It is putting Remus at risk of investigation by the Ministry, as they know you two were quite close before you were imprisoned. I do not wish for Remus to have to go through any trouble. The House of Black has every concealment protection known to wizarding kind placed upon it. I believe it would be a much better idea for all parties involved if you were to move into Headquarters, Sirius." Dumbledore was waiting for the explosion, but he would have none of it.

Sirius stood up quickly, his breathing quickening. "I will not live in that house again, Albus! I can't stand that place!" He looked over at Remus, who was purposefully not looking at him. "You knew this the whole time, didn't you?" Sirius asked of Remus.

Remus sighed and looked up at Sirius. He had known this was going to happen. "Sirius, please. Albus is right, you're not safe here. I don't want you to be thrown back in Azkaban because I couldn't protect you," Remus said softly, feeling incredibly guilty for keeping this from Sirius.

Sirius snorted and shook his head. "So this is your way of kicking me out, eh? Sending me to live in that horrible place I had to call home, while you stay here and 'protect' me?" Sirius couldn't believe Remus had planned this. Was this what Dumbledore had him doing on those missions? He felt betrayed and hurt that Remus hadn't warned him.

"Sirius, Remus will be moving into the house along with you. Due to certain circumstances, this flat and those around it are going to be destroyed within the next week." Dumbledore said, standing up himself. "I will make this quite clear, Sirius; this is not a request. You will move into the house, now that I have your permission to make it into the Headquarters for the Order." Dumbledore had not been unkind, but his words had an obvious air of finality to them. "I must head off now, I'm afraid. There is much work to do. I expect you to have everything you need packed and ready to be moved within the next two weeks. Goodnight." With that, Dumbledore left the flat.

Remus stood up and moved closer to Sirius, who had turned his back on him and was glaring at the wall. "Sirius... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Professor Dumbledore made me swear not to tell because he knew you would react this way," Remus said quietly as he put a hand gently on Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius shrugged Remus' hand off and moved away from him. He turned to look at Remus, pure misery etched onto his face. "I've simply traded one prison for another, Remus," he whispered before walking into the bedroom and slamming the door behind him. To hell with it being Remus' flat. Remus could sleep on the sofa tonight for all Sirius cared.

RSRSRSRSRS

Remus awoke as the early morning sun peaked through the thin curtains of the living room window. He stood up slowly from the sofa, which had been his bed that night. Remus had not even attempted to enter his room after Sirius had slammed the door on him. He knew all he needed was a bit of time to cool off. He felt horrible for not telling Sirius about the plan, but he had sworn to Dumbledore that he wouldn't speak a word of it to Sirius.

Remus shuffled tiredly over to his bedroom door and knocked gently. "Sirius, can I please come in? You know the only bathroom is in there, right?" Remus said, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. He wasn't even sure if Sirius was awake or not.

With a soft click, the door opened slowly, Sirius holding it open for Remus. Sirius didn't say a word as he looked at the sleepy-looking werewolf. He felt bad for kicking Remus out of his own room. It wasn't his fault, this was all Dumbledore's work.

Remus walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking up at Sirius with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Padfoot... I really am," he said with a small frown.

Sirius sighed and plopped down onto the bed beside Remus. He leaned his head to rest on Remus' shoulder, pouting slightly. "It's ok, Moony. It's not your fault. I'm sorry for snapping at you," Sirius whispered, reaching for his lover's hand and entwining their fingers together.

Remus smiled as Sirius took his hand. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Sirius' cheek. "It's alright. I would be mad, too, if I were you. But, it won't be all bad. At least I get to move in with you," Remus said as he brushed a piece of onyx hair away from Sirius' eyes.

Sirius nodded and smiled. That was the only aspect of the whole plan that appealed to him; having Remus there living with him. "Why is the flat being destroyed, Remus? Merlin, you've lived here for a long time," Sirius said, snuggling a bit closer to Remus.

Remus nodded and sighed. He would actually miss his dingy little flat. There were so many memories here, though most of them weren't very happy ones, he realized. "They've been threatening to close down these flats because they aren't structurally safe anymore. They finally got the go-ahead from the owners of the land to take them down, and gave everyone a month to leave. Good thing Dumbledore found out you own The Black House, or we'd both be homeless." Remus sighed. He wouldn't have had enough gold to rent another flat, even if he had wanted to.

Sirius sat up and looked into Remus' eyes, which looked slightly pained. He had not even thought of the fact that Remus would have no other place to go. He resolved to get over his discomfort of having to go back to his old home. As long as Remus was there with him, everything would be ok. "Let's get packing then," he said with a smile.

Remus sighed in relief and let out an amused snort. He leaned forward and kissed Sirius. "I love you, you git," Remus teased, smiling against Sirius' lips.

Sirius laughed and pulled Remus into another kiss. "I love you too, prat," Sirius teased back wrapping his arms lightly around the werewolf. "I missed you last night," he whispered into Remus' ear.

Remus shivered at the feeling of Sirius' hot breath against his ear. He smiled as he let his hand snake up the back of Sirius' shirt. "Mmm, I missed you too," he muttered, placing a kiss on the warm flesh of Sirius' neck. He had indeed missed the warm presence of Sirius sleeping beside him that night.

Sirius let out a content sigh as he let Remus kiss and nibble his neck. He loved the feeling of those lips on his skin, leaving a burning trail of desire on his skin. He gently pushed Remus down onto the bed, climbing on top of him and straddling his hips. He leaned down and caught Remus' lips in a passionate kiss, rolling his hips in a teasing fashion.

Remus let out a low moan as Sirius rolled his hips against him. His hand found its way into Sirius' silky black locks as he kissed his lover back, feeling that familiar tingle sweeping throughout his entire body. "We need to pack, Padfoot," he muttered against Sirius' lips.

Sirius moved down to kiss and suck on the sensitive areas of Remus' neck, running a hand up the front of his shirt to tease the many scars across his chest. He smirked devilishly as he looked back up at Remus. "Oh, I intend to," Sirius said huskily before returning his attention back onto Remus' neck.

Remus chuckled as he savored the feeling of Sirius' weight on top of him. He pulled Sirius' head up gently. "That's not the kind of 'packing' I was referring to, my love," Remus said, the intimate moment obviously over.

Sirius sighed and frowned as he rolled off of Remus and onto his side, facing the werewolf. "Oh, fine then. You're no fun, Moony," Sirius teased, snaking his hand back up the front of Remus' shirt. He loved teasing the sensitive flesh of Remus' scars.

Remus smirked before closing the distance between them and kissing Sirius deeply on the lips. "We can have fun later after we move. I promise," Remus whispered. This was a significant promise, considering they had still not gone as far as having sex since Sirius had come to stay with him. Touching, kissing, and a little bit of fondling, but no sex.

Sirius' eyes grew wide, as did his smile. He bit his lip as he lightly played with Remus' golden brown hair. "Really? You mean that?" Sirius asked, not daring to believe it. He had wanted to be with Remus so bad, but had not pushed the matter very far. He knew Remus would let him know when he was ready to take it back up to the next step.

Remus smiled and kissed Sirius quickly before standing up and holding out a hand to help Sirius up off the bed. "Of course I mean it, Padfoot. Now come on, we've got some packing to do." Remus smiled.

Sirius took his hand and allowed Remus to help him up. He pulled Remus against him, however, and met his lips once more. "You are one big tease, you know that?" Sirius said with a smirk. He was only kidding, but Remus was indeed a huge tease.

Remus laughed and kissed Sirius back. He snaked his hand around and tightly squeezed Sirius ass before pulling away and conjuring a pile of boxes for them to fill. "I know I am," Remus teased with a smirk.

RSRSRSRS

"Are you sure you don't want to take the sofa, Moony? I know how much you like it, it was your mum's," Sirius said as he taped close the final box of dishes and sat it down gently beside all of the other boxes lining the living room walls. It was weird seeing the flat so bare and unhomely.

Remus shook his head, tapping his wand on a box of books and watching as tape wrapped itself tightly around the flaps of the box. "We won't need it, Sirius. Your house is still fully furnished. Besides, where would we put it? It's not that important," Remus reassured Sirius with a warm smile. He did indeed have a fondness for the crimson sofa which his mother had given him, but he was right, they didn't need it.

Sirius sighed as he walked over and wrapped his arms around Remus' waist lovingly. "Ok, only if you're sure," Sirius said with a smile before kissing the werewolf gently on the lips.

Remus smiled as he kissed Sirius back, wrapping his arms around Sirius' neck and pulling him closer. He was just about to sit down and pull Sirius down onto the sofa with him when the door of the flat opened and in walked the silver haired Dumbledore.

Sirius quickly jumped back from Remus, flushing bright red as he coughed and pretended to busy himself with a box that was already properly packed. He was not sure if Dumbledore was aware of their relationship or not, but he certainly would be now.

Dumbledore chuckled as he closed the door behind him and strolled into the living room. "Excuse me, I should have knocked. How rude of me," he said with an amused grin. He looked to Remus, who was smirking shyly and blushing as he moved a box off of the kitchen counter. "Oh really, you two. You act as if I'm daft simply because I'm old. You need not pretend like you're not madly in love with each other in my presence," Dumbledore said with an exasperated sigh.

There was a crash of breaking glass as Sirius dropped a mug he had been about to pack. "Shit, sorry. Er...I don't have a wand to mend it," Sirius said, blushing even more crimson, if possible. Well, it was easier this way. Remus and Sirius would not have to explain themselves to Dumbledore at least.

Remus laughed as he walked over and repaired the mug with a flick of his wand. He bent down and picked it up, handing it back to Sirius. He turned back to Dumbledore, still smiling. "Thanks, Professor," was all he offered. "We really do need to find you a wand, Sirius. You truly do suck at packing without one," Remus teased.

Dumbledore chuckled as he reached into the pocket of his robes and drew out a formidable-looking wand. It was ten and a quarter inches and made out of black rose wood, with a thestral hair core. "I found this at Headquarters, Sirius. If my memory serves me right, it belonged to your brother, Regulus," Dumbledore said as he held out the wand to Sirius.

Sirius walked forward slowly and took the wand from Dumbledore. He had recognized it immediately as his little brother's wand. It had been a very long time since he had seen it. He examined it closely in his hands, running his fingers along it and relishing how it fit perfectly in his grip. It was almost identical to his own wand, the only difference being the length. It was evidence of how very much alike he and Regulus had been. He gulped and looked up at Dumbledore, smiling lightly. "Thank you. I had no idea he had left it. Where did you find it in the house?" Sirius asked curiously. The circumstances of Regulus' death were still a mystery, as was the location of his brother's body. However, he had been sure wherever Regulus had gone, that his wand had gone with him.

Dumbledore sat down on the armchair and shook back the sleeves of his elaborately purple robes. He smiled as he looked up at Sirius. "Actually, it's really quite interesting. I was sure that Regulus' wand had been lost with him. However, on inspection of the house, I found this wand lying on your bed in your old room, Sirius," Dumbledore explained, quite intrigued by the wand's appearance.

Sirius' jaw dropped. His brother's wand had been found on his bed? He gulped down the knot in his throat and quickly looked down, blinking back the tears that began to surface. "I have no idea how it could have gotten there. Regulus was sure to have had it with him when he...disappeared," Sirius said in shaky voice, not looking up at the old wizard or at Remus.

Dumbledore nodded his head softly as he studied Sirius' emotional reaction to the news. "I have a theory about that. I believe that Regulus may have known his end was coming soon. He knew you would probably not go back to that house for a very long time, if ever, so he left his wand on your bed. It took me nearly two hours to figure out the password to your room. Do you remember what it was?" Dumbledore asked with a curious look.

Sirius nodded and wiped away the stray tears. He let out a shaky laugh as he recalled the password. "'Slytherin sucks'," he said with an amused grin. "It took you two hours to figure that out, sir?" he asked Dumbledore with a chuckle.

Dumbledore chuckled himself. "Actually that was the very first thing I tried. The password had been changed, it appears. This is why I came up with my theory about Regulus," Dumbledore said, a more serious look crossing his features.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at this. Had Regulus really changed his password? "What was the password then, sir?" Sirius asked curiously.

Dumbledore smiled lightly, a twinkle in his amazingly blue eyes. "Amor Vos Frater," he said, pausing to see if Sirius knew what it meant. He continued as Sirius looked confused, though Remus had a look of comprehension on his face. "It means 'Love You Brother' in Latin," he said simply, smiling warmly.

Sirius gasped and tried to hide his choked sob as he covered his mouth with his hand. He and Regulus had not been on very good terms in the last years of Regulus' life. Sirius was under the impression that his brother had hated him thoroughly, though he did not hate Regulus at all. He let himself be pulled into a hug by Remus as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

The three men stayed in silence for a while as Sirius continued to cry on Remus' shoulder, still clutching his brother's wand in his hand. After a few calming breaths, Sirius pulled away from Remus and wiped the tears from his eyes. He sniffled and sighed. "Thank you, Albus," he said quietly with a smile. He was grateful for not only having his brother's wand, but knowing the truth about how his brother had really felt.

Dumbledore stood up and nodded lightly, smiling at Sirius. "It is perfectly clear that Regulus wanted you to have his wand. I'm just happy to oblige in that manner. Now, is everything ready to go here?" he said, looking from Sirius to Remus.

Remus nodded and took a look around the flat. "Yes, everything is packed and ready. I'm assuming we're leaving tonight? The flat is due to be taken down tomorrow," Remus said, lightly rubbing Sirius' back in a comforting gesture.

Dumbledore nodded and pulled out a curious-looking pocket watch. He examined the time and put it away again. "Yes, tonight would be an ideal time to move. Your belongings will all be placed in the drawing room across from Sirius' bedroom on the second floor of the house. I did not set up a room for you, however, seeing as how I thought you'd simply share Sirius' room," Dumbledore said with a knowing smile.

Remus blushed lightly but smiled back at his old Headmaster. "Thank you. But, er... How is all my stuff getting there?" Remus asked, curious as to how they were supposed to move the many boxes to the heart of London in the middle of the day.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly as he pulled out a slip of parchment and an old tattered book. "I will see to all of your belongings. I know a few tricks to make it go much faster. However, you and Sirius will be taking a portkey to the square outside of Headquarters. You will need to read this slip of parchment when you get there in order to see the house, as it's under the Fidelius Charm," Dumbledore said as he handed over the book and the parchment.

Remus took the old book and parchment from the older wizard. "When is the portkey leaving, sir?" he asked as he slipped the parchment into his pocket. He looked down at the cover of the old book and smiled. 'Guide To Household Cleaning Charms'. "We'll definitely be needing this," he said softly.

Dumbledore chuckled at Remus' comment. "The portkey is leaving at two thirty-five. So, in about two minutes. I have some other business to attend to after moving all of your boxes, however. There will be an Order meeting at seven o'clock down in the basement kitchen. I hope you don't mind, but there are a few guests who will be sharing Headquarters as living space for a little while. Let Molly know about the meeting, please, Remus. I will see you both at seven." Dumbledore smiled as the old book began to glow blue in Remus' hand.

Sirius quickly reached out a hand to touch the old book and within a few seconds, the feeling of being swept away overtook both Remus and Sirius as they were pulled away to the square outside of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

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**A/N:** Thanks so much again to all of you have read and reviewed! Please stick with me, there's plenty more to come! I actually would like my reader's opinions on something. Should I write up until Sirius' death, or keep going on until Remus' death? It's a big project to take on if I write up to Remus' death, but I'm thinking about it. What do you all think? It will mke the story a LOT longer. Review and let me know where I should write up to! Keep the love flowing! Love y'all lots!


	5. The Noble & Most Ancient House of Black

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own or profit! Trust me, the actors playing Sirius and Remus as teenagers in the 5th movie would have been MUCH more attractive if I did!

**A/N:** Hello again everyone! Wow! 956 hits so far! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, it means so much to me. A huge thanks to my beta _Pickle and Twigs_ as always. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I think it makes up for it's shortness in content (evil smirk). With that, I hope you enjoy!

**WARNING:** There _**IS**_ smut in this chapter! (woo hoo!) If you don't like it, don't read! I also hate Tonks/Remus, so Remus is a bit cold to Tonks. Sorry to the NT/RL shippers!

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**Ch 5.  
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black  
**

Remus held Sirius steady as they both landed in a grassy square surrounded by beat up looking houses. There were overflowing rubbish bins in front of one house, which smelt of rotting trash. Remus slipped the book back into his pocket and pulled out the slip of parchment. "Dumbledore said to read this," Remus said, unfolding the strip and looking down at the slanted writing of Dumbledore.

Sirius looked over Remus shoulder at the slip of parchment. It read: 'Do NOT read this out loud. The Headquarter for The Order of The Phoenix may be found at number twelve Grimmauld Place, London.'

As soon as both men had read the parchment, a front door began to appear in between numbers eleven and thirteen. Following the door, a set of crumbling steps, high dirty windows, and a large balcony formed before their eyes, pushing the houses on either side apart. The door was black and glossy looking, with a large metal knocker in the shape of a serpent.

Sirius frowned at the sight of his old house. He had not been here since he was sixteen years old. It looked a lot less elegant than it had in his youth, but that was to be expected after being left abandoned after his mother's death while Sirius was still in prison. "Home sweet home..." Sirius said quietly, lightly holding onto Remus' hand, unwilling to be the first to walk forward.

Remus sighed and began to walk towards the door, pulling Sirius along with him. It certainly was a formidable looking place. He could understand why Sirius had been reluctant to move back in. He walked up the steps and tapped his wand on the door. There were a few clicks and clanks of metal as the locks and protective concealing charms were lifted. The door creaked open and Remus walked in, pulling Sirius in with him.

There was a long drawn out hiss emitting from gas lamps lining the hall stretching out in front of them. With a pop, light filled the hallway and exposed the many paintings hanging on the walls. These paintings looked quite horrible, their occupants looking to be in desperate pain, but sleeping. At the very end of the hall, there was a rather large and ornate picture frame, but the picture had been covered up with two large, green curtains.

"Sirius, what's behind those curtains?" Remus asked. All at once, he regretted opening his mouth at all. With an earsplitting shriek, the curtains flew open and exposed the portrait of an old and mad looking witch. She began to scream as she spotted Sirius, making the pictures all around them start to scream and moan in pain.

_"YOU! You filthy Blood-traitor! Abomination of my flesh! You are no son of mine! Half-breeds and mud-bloods besmirching the house of my father's! OUT!"_ the portrait of the witch shrieked, thrashing around madly and clawing at the edges of the frame as if trying to escape.

Remus felt Sirius tense up as he started to grip his hand with breaking force. He turned to see Sirius' eyes wide open in fear, the colour drained from his face. Remus panicked, pulling Sirius down the hall towards the first door he saw. He had to get Sirius away from that portrait.

"What on earth is she shrieking about this- Oh! Remus, Sirius! How nice to see you! Come, come. There's some tea brewing on the fire now," Molly Weasley said cheerfully as she turned and began to walk down some stairs off to the left.

Remus followed her, dragging Sirius along by the hand, not caring if Molly noticed or not. He was still pale and kept a stoney silence all the way down the stairs. When they reached the basement kitchen, they saw two people sitting at the table chatting and sipping at cups of tea. One of them was a tall and bald black man, with a single earring shining against his dark skin. The other was a rather attractive younger female with shockingly pink, spikey hair and a pleasant heart shaped face.

"Sirius! It's me, Nymphadora!" the woman with pink hair shrieked as she jumped up from the table and walked over to where Remus and Sirius were still standing by the door.

Sirius jumped slightly as the woman yelled. He was still a bit shocked from what had happened up in the hall. "Dora, little Dora? Certainly not! Andromeda Tonks' daughter?" Sirius said, his face breaking out into a wide grin as the colour came back to him.

Remus let go of Sirius hand and walked towards the man he knew to be Kingsley Shacklebolt. "What in Merlin's name was that screaming picture all about, Kingsley?" Remus asked quietly, trying not to let Sirius hear him.

The bald and extremely tall man stood up and pulled out his wand in an exasperated way. "Dumbledore didn't bother telling you to keep your voices down in the hallway, I take it?" he said in a very deep and soothing voice.

Remus raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. "No, he didn't. Who is that in the portrait?" he asked, already afraid of the answer. He assumed who it was, but wasn't all too sure about anything in this slightly creepy house.

Kingsley let out a humorless laugh and shook his head. "That is Mrs. Walburga Black. Sirius Black's mother," he said with a grim smile. He headed towards the door of the kitchen. "I'll go shut her up for you, Molly," Kingsley said, nodding at Mrs. Weasley.

Molly smiled as she poured two more glasses of tea. "Thank you, Kingsley dear. Remus, Sirius. There's some tea here for you. There's also some pumpkin pasties if you're hungry." she pointed at the tea and tray of slightly orange cakes.

Remus still had a slightly horrified look on his face. That ugly, old, psychotic woman in that portrait was Sirius' mother? Holy mother of Merlin, he fully understood why Sirius had run away at sixteen. "Oh, thank you Molly. I know you obviously know who Sirius is, but I haven't quite introduced you yet. Molly, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley's wife. You met one of her sons, Ron, last year," Remus said with a smile.

Sirius nodded and reached out a hand to shake Mrs. Weasley's. "Nice to meet you, Molly. And again, I'm very sorry for that bad bite I gave Ron," Sirius said with a slight frown. He hadn't meant to break the poor boy's leg.

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips for a few seconds as if she wanted to yell at Sirius for that particular incident, but thought better of it and smiled once more. "It's quite alright, dear. I understand why you did it, I think," Molly said with a quick nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make sure Ron and the Twins aren't destroying the library instead of cleaning it," Molly said as she bustled out of the kitchen.

Remus smiled at Sirius before sitting down at the kitchen table and happily taking a sip of his tea. He looked over at the woman who he had met a couple of weeks before, and had been working with her on Order stuff. She had an air of dottiness to her, but she was quite cheerfully full of energy all the same. "Well, I think I fully understand why you hated your mother, Sirius," Remus said with a look of disgust.

Sirius sat down beside Remus and drank from his own tea. He chuckled humorlessly and took a large bite from a pumpkin pasty before speaking again. "Yes, you've finally met my mother Moon-er-Remus," Sirius said, correcting his slip up. He wasn't sure if his cousin knew of Remus' affliction.

Tonks sat down in the seat across from Sirius, still smiling widely. She knocked over her cup of tea as she reached for a pasty. "Oops!" she pulled out her wand and cleaned up the mess, still smiling up at Remus and Sirius. "Oh, I know Remus is a werewolf. No need to do away with his nickname," Tonks said happily, winking at Remus.

Sirius felt a slight twinge of- something. He couldn't quite place the feeling but he certainly did not like the way Tonks kept smiling at Remus, or the way she had said his name in an affectionate way. He cleared his throat before pointedly glancing at Remus and taking another sip of tea. "Oh well, that's good to know. So you two know each other I'm guessing?" Sirius asked, lightly rubbing his leg up against Remus' under the table.

Tonks beamed and finished off her pasty. "Yeah, we met a couple of weeks ago. Dumbledore had us working together on some project about the Department of-"

"Tonks! That's quite enough about our project, don't you think?" Remus said quickly, giving Tonks a look of warning.

Tonks frowned, slightly taken aback by being reprimanded by the werewolf. "I'm sorry, Remus. I wasn't aware that it was a secret," Tonks said with a raised eyebrow. She looked over at Sirius, who was frowning at the pair of them in confusion.

Remus sighed and shook his head. One of the many things about this woman he didn't like was her slightly snotty attitude. She was related to the Blacks, however. "It's not really a secret, per se, but I think Dumbledore were prefer to let Sirius in on everything at the meeting tonight," Remus said pointedly.

Tonks blushed and bit her lip before standing up and walking towards the door. "Oh, right. Well, I have rounds starting at four so I should go. Oh the boring life of an Auror. See you around Sirius!" she said cheerfully before walking out of the kitchen, not bothering to bid farewell to Remus.

Sirius turned to Remus, a look of amused curiosity on his face. "What in Merlin's name was that about?" he asked, feeling slightly hurt that Remus was not willing to let him in on anything yet. Who was Sirius going to tell? He wasn't allowed to so much as get near the front door.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, but she slightly annoys me. I think she-er," Remus blushed a little and looked away from Sirius, "she sort of fancies me," Remus said quietly, taking a sip of his tea and pointedly studying the tray of pasties.

Sirius frowned. He took a long drink of his tea before turning back to Remus. "So she knows you're a werewolf, but she doesn't know you're gay?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow at his lover.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Well, I had to tell her I was a werewolf because of some of the missions that Dumbledore is planning for me. They have to do with my condition. However, the fact that I prefer men was not relevant," Remus pointed out, slightly amused by Sirius' jealousy.

Sirius snorted in laughter, draining his cup of tea. "It's relevant if she's trying to get into your pants, Moony." Sirius smirked as he leaned closer to Remus, their faces just inches apart. "That's my job," he whispered before kissing Remus gently on the lips.

Remus chuckled and smirked against Sirius' lips as he kissed him back, a hand slipping onto Sirius' thigh. "Well Mr. Padfoot, you are bad at your job then, seeing as how you've yet to get into my pants so far," Remus teased, letting his hand slide dangerously close to Sirius' now growing erection.

Sirius gasped in mock hurt as he pulled away from Remus. "Well I can't get the job done unless the boss lets me work," Sirius whispered, pushing his hips up so that Remus' hand shifted to the bulge forming in his pants. He tried not to think about the fact that he was sitting in his old kitchen with his lover's hand on his hard-on under the table.

Remus chuckled as he rubbed Sirius' through his pants, kissing him gently before biting his bottom lip teasingly. "Mmm, well you're in luck because the boss just put you on the clock," Remus said huskily, feeling Sirius' erection grow even more at his words.

Sirius let out a shaky breath. A small moan escaped his lips as Remus rubbed him gently. "Oh God we need to find my bedroom, and soon," Sirius said as he stood up and pulled Remus along with him. Thank Merlin for wizard's robes, which were very good at hiding hard ons if the need arised. Sirius practically ran up the steps, Remus following behind him, and peaked out the door into the hallway. It was empty. Sirius walked through the hallway as quietly as possible, turning to press a lips to Remus' lips to keep him quiet. He reached the large staircase and began to climb it, Remus following close behind still. Turning to the left, he reached a large ornate door with his name written in serpentine letters. He stopped, wondering if the password had been changed or not.

"Er, I dunno if Dumbledore left the password the same," Sirius said, frowning back at Remus who was breathing down his neck impatiently.

Remus sighed and walked forward. "Amor Vos Frater," he said quietly. With a resounding click, the bedroom door opened and Remus walked in, pulling Sirius in by the hand. He glanced around the room quickly before being pulled over to a rather large four-poster bed with crimson bed clothes and tons of pillows.

Sirius quickly pulled off Remus' robes and shirt, kissing his neck lovingly. He reached down and undid Remus' belt buckle, popping the button on his pants and tugging down the zipper.

Remus let Sirius undress him, rubbing his hands across Sirius chest as his breathing increased. He pulled back from Sirius when he got as far as unzipping his pants, only to reach over and pulled off Sirius' robes and shirt, too. He quickly undid Sirius pants and wasted no time in tugging them down, leaving Sirius in his boxers.

Sirius stepped out of his pants and kicked them away before pulling off Remus' pants off in much the same fashion. He savored the sight of his near-naked lover, and the rather large bulge in Remus' boxers for a few seconds before tugging down Remus' boxers and pushing him back on the bed. Throwing his own boxers aside, he crawled on top of Remus, kissing and sucking on the werewolf's neck, rubbing a hand over his hard cock.

Remus was starting to pant with desire as Sirius touched and kissed him. He let his hands roam over the still slightly emaciated man on top of him, pushing his hips up to push against Sirius' erection. "Oh God, Sirius. Why didn't I let you do this sooner?" he muttered.

Sirius moved up to kiss Remus on the lips again, smirking devilishly. "Because you're a prat," Sirius teased, slipping his tongue into Remus' mouth and exploring the wet warmth. He pulled away and began to move down Remus' body, kissing his way down his chest and stomach. He took Remus' cock into his hands and gently began to stroke him, placing a chaste kiss on the tip.

Remus moaned and pushed his hips up to meet Sirius' strokes. He was so lost in the passion, that familiar tingle rushing through his body at Sirius' touch. "Please Sirius..." he whined, wanting to feel his lover's hot mouth around him.

Sirius smirked up at Remus before obliging the werewolf, taking his full length into his mouth hungrily. He had not had sex in fourteen years, and it felt damn good to be sharing this intimate act with Remus once more. He ran his tongue along the shaft of Remus' cock, sucking in his cheeks to create suction.

Remus moaned and writhed at the feeling of Sirius mouth around him. He began to thrust himself into Sirius' mouth, weaving a hand into Sirius' silky locks. He moved his hips faster as he felt his climax start to build. "Oh fuck, I'm going to cum," he groaned, pushing Sirius' head down onto him gently.

Sirius allowed Remus to thrust in and out of his mouth, giving him complete control as he focused on sucking and licking the wonderful flesh in his mouth. When Remus warned of his orgasm, Sirius pulled his mouth away. "I don't want you to yet. I want this to last," Sirius whispered as he moved back up, kissing Remus deeply and lovingly.

Remus moaned his protest but kissed Sirius back. His hands groped and reached for Sirius rock hard erection, stroking it slowly and teasingly. He bit Sirius' lip gently and smirked as Sirius gasped. "I want to feel you in me," Remus whispered huskily, still stroking Sirius.

Sirius' breathing quickened and he slowly repositioned himself between Remus' legs, allowing them to wrap around his hips. He leaned down and kissed Remus gently, then passionately. "I love you, Remus..." Sirius whispered before using his wand to lube himself up. He slowly began to press himself into Remus' entrance, taking it as slow as he could so as not to hurt the werewolf.

Remus gasped and closed his eyes at the momentary discomfort of Sirius pushing himself into his entrance. It had been so long, it was almost as if it were the very first time all over again. "I love you too..." he managed to breathe out, his eyes still closed. He bit his lip as Sirius pushed deeper and deeper until finally he was as far in as he could go. After the few seconds of pain, Remus was starting to feel the immense pleasure rushing through his body. "Don't stop," Remus instructed Sirius, loving the feeling of Sirius deep within him.

Sirius obliged and slowly began to move in and out of Remus, thrusting his hips a little more powerfully than before. He moaned as he pushed himself into the hot and tight werewolf. "Damn, you're so tight," Sirius groaned as he started to move faster.

Remus panted and pushed his hips to meet every thrust Sirius made. He moaned as Sirius began to quicken the pace, feeling his climax starting to rise again. "Oh God...Faster," he muttered, placing his hands on Sirius' hips to help steady himself. He was torn between wanting to feel his climax, and wanting this feeling of Sirius inside him to last forever.

Sirius began to thrust harder and faster, feeling his orgasm build. He leaned down and kissed Remus passionately, sliding his tongue against his lover's. With a grunt and a shudder, he came hard into the depths of Remus. "Oh Remus!" he moaned, throwing his head back in pleasure.

Remus let out a strangled yell as he came only seconds after Sirius, the hot sticky liquid spreading between their sweaty stomachs. He wrapped his arms around his lover as Sirius pulled out of him and collapse onto his chest.

They both lay there for a few minutes, their breathing becoming normal again. Sirius looked up at Remus and smiled a sated and happy smile. "Now, what was that about being bad at my job?" Sirius teased.

Remus began to laugh, holding Sirius close to him. He ran a hand through Sirius' soft onyx hair and smirked. "I take it back, Padfoot. You're wonderful at your job," Remus said before placing a soft kiss on Sirius' lips.

RSRSRSRS

Sirius stirred as he felt Remus' gaze rather than saw it. He opened his eyes slowly to see a fully dressed Remus kneeling beside the bed and staring straight at Sirius. Sirius moved back a couple of inches and sat up slowly, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Woah, Moony. Don't do that," Sirius muttered, yawning lightly. "What time is it?" he asked tiredly.

Remus chuckled as he stood up and sat down on the bed beside a sleepy and still naked Sirius. "Sorry, it was the only way I knew I could wake you up easily. It's six-thirty, the meeting is in half an hour. You should probably get cleaned up and dressed now." Remus smiled while running a hand through Sirius' messy hair.

Sirius groaned and pushed himself up. He stretched his arms and yawned again. He realized then that he was still stark naked. Oh well. He leaned over and kissed Remus before standing up and heading into the bathroom that was thankfully in his room. He noticed that the bathroom was still slightly steamy from Remus' recent shower and smiled to himself. He quickly took a shower and dried himself before wrapping a towel around his waist and walking back into his room.

Remus was lying on the bed reading the old beat-up book of Household Cleaning charms when Sirius walked back into the room. He smirked at his still slightly wet and half naked body. He was still amazingly sexy, even if he had lost a bunch of weight while in Azkaban. "You have a shit load of clothes, Padfoot. I almost got lost in the bloody closet of yours." Remus chuckled.

Sirius laughed as he walked over to his large walk-in closet. He frowned as he looked at all his elaborate robes and suits. All of these clothes were bound to be too big for him now. He walked over to a shelf that had a few muggle outfits folded up. He grabbed a plain black shirt and some black slacks, along with some boxers. He dressed quickly and noticed that while the shirt still fit, the pants were a bit too large. He walked out of the closet, and over to a drawer where all his belts were. He grabbed a black belt and pulled it through the loops, buckling it as tight as it would go. "Holy hell, I'm way too skinny," Sirius sighed as he walked back over to Remus and sat on the bed beside him.

Remus smiled at Sirius' appearance. The man would look sexy in a tu-tu if that's what he chose to wear. "We'll just have to fatten you up a little then, won't we?" Remus chuckled as he picked up a brush and began to gently brush Sirius' damp hair.

Sirius laughed as he Remus began to brush his hair. "Yes, Mum," he teased, though he actually loved it when Remus brushed his hair. He checked his watch; six forty-seven. "We should head down there. Er, it might look a bit strange if both of us walk in with wet hair," he said as he pulled his wand out and dried his and Remus' hair with a flick of his wand. "It feels good to be able to do magic again," he said with a sigh.

Remus smiled and leaned in to kiss Sirius deeply. "I'm so happy I'm here with you," he whispered against his lover's lips. He felt so much closer and comfortable with Sirius after consummating their newly reformed relationship.

Sirius smiled and kissed Remus quickly before standing up and pulling him up with him. "Me too, Moony. Me too..." he said quietly before dragging Remus from the room and heading down to his very first Order meeting since the Order had been reinstated.

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**A/N:** As some of you may have already noticed, I have started an update section on my user profile specifically regarding this story! I will post news, question and answer sessions, when I should have the next chapter up, and the score on whether or not to continue this story until Remus' or Sirius' death. Go check it out!

If you have not already reviewed to tell me your opinion on where I should end the story, I'd be very thankful if you all could tell me what you think about it! If you have any questions about the story at all, please leave it in a review or message me and I'll start a Q and A session in my update section on my profile.

Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far! Updates may be coming a bit slower, as writers block has struck me dumb on chapter thirteen /. Love y'all lots!


	6. The New Order of The Phoenix

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own, so don't sue!

**A/N: **Hello again everyone! Thanks for your reviews on chapter five! Here's chapter six as promised. I had to make quite a few corrections because I managed to horrifically screw up the time-line just a bit. The lengths of time in past chapters may be ignored because of it. I will probably go back and change it up a bit to fit in with these new corrections. The date is July seventeenth at the beginning of this chapter. I hope no one is confused with the dates! Please let me know if I've missed a correction somewhere (IE: saying it's June when it's July). Thanks so much to my beta _Pickles and Twigs_ for correcting my typos and finding my slip-up with the dates! Enjoy!

**WARNINGS:** This is another fairly mild chapter, though there is a bit of drinking. Oh and there's a few DH spoilers in this chapter as well, but if you haven't read DH yet, you should probably do so soon, you slacker! (jk!)

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**Ch 6.  
The New Order of The Phoenix  
**

The dining table had been enlarged, and quite a few more chairs and been squeezed into the small basement kitchen. Remus took the seat beside Arthur Weasley, leaving the seat beside himself open for Sirius. He looked around at all the people, some of them he didn't recognize.

Sirius sat down in the seat between Remus and a very dingy and dirty looking wizard with drooping eyes, and an acrid smell of burning socks about him. He looked around and only recognized six people out of the twenty that were sitting there; Remus, Molly, Arthur, Kingsley, Tonks, and to his utter horror, Severus Snape. He glared in Snape's direction, who glared right back at him. He leaned closer to Remus' ear. "Why the bloody hell is Snivellus here?" he asked in an angry whisper.

Remus turned to meet Sirius gaze and caught the eye of Severus Snape who raised a curious eyebrow at the two men sitting so close. Severus had been quite aware of their past relationship in their Hogwarts years. "He's one the Order, Sirius. He's a spy. You might want to be a tad more discreet if you don't want the whole Order knowing that we're together," Remus whispered back before moving a bit farther away from Sirius.

Sirius scowled and sat back in his chair, scooting a little bit away from Remus. He didn't really care if the entire world knew he and Remus were together, but he knew Remus did. He felt like he was in a spotlight as he suddenly realized that the room of people were staring at him with wide eyes. His scowl deepened as he sat forward, glaring at everyone who was staring. "Hello! Yes, I'm Sirius Black, escaped mass murderer extrordinare! Now would all please put your eyes back in your heads?" Sirius said bitterly, before turning back to look at Remus. He heard a snort of laughter near the back of the room and turned just in time to see Snape try to hide his smile with his hand. Well, that was certainly a shock.

Remus rolled his eyes and sighed. Leave it up to Sirius to make some sort of ludicrous announcement. Though he had been quite right to tell everyone off, they were unabashedly staring at him like he had grown two extra heads. They had all been previously told about Sirius' innocence, and they knew he would be joining them eventually. It was obvious that some had not believed a single word of it and were shocked to actually see the man sitting there with them.

"Good evening, everyone. I hope you're all doing well," Dumbledore said with a warm smile as he entered the crowded room and place himself at the head of the table. "As you have all undoubtedly noticed, we have a new member this evening; Sirius Black. As I've covered the topic before, I will say no more on the matter," Dumbledore said, successfully dragging all of the eyes away from Sirius and onto himself. "Now, first things first. We are planning to move Harry Potter from his current location in Surrey to our Headquarters here. I feel he would be safer with us rather than his muggle relatives, who aren't overly pleasant people. In order to do this, we will need some people to volunteer to form a sort of guard. I want a team of people with Harry when he is moved for his protection. To keep the Ministry from tracking the whereabouts of Harry, I have devised a plan for this guard to fly on broomstick to bring Harry to Headquarters. Before I ask for volunteers, I would like to discuss a date for the movement to take place." Dumbledore looked around at the Order members for any sign of a suggestion. He saw Severus lean forward and nodded at him, giving him permission to speak.

Severus cleared his throat quietly before looking up at Dumbledore, his dark hair covering his face slightly. "The Dark Lord will be abroad on the night of August seventh. I do not know where he is going, but my sources are quite dependable," he said quietly, glancing quickly at Sirius for some inexplicable reason.

Dumbledore nodded and thought for a few moments. "August the seventh it is then. I will require a guard of at least-" Dumbledore paused as Sirius gave him an incredulous look and opened his mouth to speak.

"But sir, August seventh is still quite a while away. Surely we could move him sooner? He hates that place," Sirius said sharply, knowing very well what it felt like to hate the place you were forced to live at. He glanced over at Remus, who was giving him an exasperated look.

Dumbledore frowned slightly. "Sirius, we need to make sure that Harry is as safe as possible when we move him. If we know for a fact that Voldemort will be out of the country, it would be foolish not to try and move him on that date. The only thing we have to worry about are his Death Eaters if he is abroad. I know he dislikes his Aunt and Uncle, but his safety is much more important than his comfort at this point in time," Dumbledore explained. He waited for Sirius to react before going on.

Sirius let out a frustrated sigh as he leaned back in his chair. Who cared what he thought, he was only the boy's legal guardian for Merlin's sake! But no, Dumbledore was going to listen to Snivellus and wait longer to get Harry out of that stupid muggle dwelling. Sirius felt slightly ashamed of his immature thoughts, but only slightly. He knew Dumbledore was right, but that didn't make him feel any less sour about the situation. Besides, Harry had the right to know what was going on with the movement against Voldemort!

Dumbledore nodded as he saw that Sirius wasn't going to say anything more on the matter. "Now, I'm going to ask that I have at least two Aurors on the Guard. Kingsley and Tonks, I would like you to participate. Will this be a problem for either of you?"

Kingsley shook his head briefly but Tonks bit her lip in thought. "I have rounds that night at the Ministry, sir," she said timidly.

A tall man with brown hair and a long scar stretching down his cheek leaned forward from the right side of the room. "I can cover your shift for you, Tonks, as long as that's alright with Kingsley." he nodded towards the black wizard.

Kingsley nodded. "I shall change the names on the schedule tomorrow," he said, looking back towards Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded he's approval. "Good. Thank you, Dawlish, for your help. Now, who else will be available that night?" Dumbledore asked. He watched as eight more hands raised into the air. He smiled and looked around at the volunteers. When he caught Sirius' hand in the air, he frowned lightly. "Sirius, you cannot go, and you know that," Dumbledore said with a slight edge to his voice.

Sirius growled and put his hand down, the feeling of being a prisoner in his own home returning to him. "Thought I'd give it a shot," Sirius said with a shrug and a scowl. He hated it already.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly at Sirius' attitude before counting the rest of the hands up. He noticed that Severus had not volunteered. "The rest of you are approved to join the Advance Guard. I'm putting Alastor Moody in charge of the plans. We will discuss said plans at the next meeting. Now, onto the next topic of business. As we've discussed before, there is a need to have a guard at the Ministry. Details will still not be discussed, though I will now add that this guarding post will be in front of the door leading to the Department of Mysteries. I have left the job of finding out the Ministry's hours and schedules concerning the department to Tonks and Remus. What have you found out for us?" Dumbledore said, inclining his head first towards Remus.

Remus felt his face grow a little warm as every eye shifted towards him. He pulled a folder towards from the large pile in the middle of the table. "The Department of Mysteries is a twenty-four hour work place. There are always Unspeakables coming and going. In our observations, we've found out that there is a three hour long block of time where no activity is happening in the corridor in front of the entrance to the Department, nor is there any sort of guard standing beside the door. This, we believe, would be the most ample time for an attack on the Department," Remus said, glancing down at his notes every once in a while.

Tonks, who was sitting straight across from Remus, leaned forward and took the folder. She shuffled the pages and bit and read for a few seconds before looking up at Dumbledore. "This three hour period stretches on from eight in the evening until eleven in the evening. We're not quite sure why there is no activity at that time, but it was almost one hundred percent consistent in the four weeks that Remus and I observed the Department," Tonks said, closing the folder and pushing it back to the middle of the table.

Dumbledore nodded and grasped his chin in thought. "You said 'almost one hundred percent'. When did the activity ensue to deem it 'almost'?" Dumbledore asked, looking towards Remus.

Remus grabbed the folder again and looked down at the parchment. "On July twelfth, last monday, a known Death Eater was spotted standing in the corridor for no apparent reason," Remus said, sighing darkly. "Known Death Eater to us and not the Ministry, sir. Lucius Malfoy," Remus continued, glancing over at Snape.

Dumbledore's eyes squinted slightly in thought. He looked towards Severus and leaned forward. "Have you any idea why Lucius was in the corridor of the Department of Mysteries on said date, Severus?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Severus shook his head, looking a little curious himself. "I haven't sir. I've not heard anything about plans to do with the Department of Mysteries. I will try to find out what I can when He next calls," Severus said, a dark shadow crossing his face as he said this.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Severus. Now, one more thing before I can dismiss you all. As planned, Sirius and Remus have moved into Headquarters upon my instruction. Also staying here will be the Weasley family, and one of Harry's closest friends, Hermione Granger. Miss Granger should be arriving tomorrow evening. Now, as a final warning and a few things to refresh your memories; as I saw when I walked in, a lot of you still do not show that you have any trust in my explanation of Sirius Black's innocence. I know his version of events to be true, and you were all present when Severus backed up my story with the evidence of one Peter Pettigrew being alive and well, and at the right hand of Voldemort himself. Pettigrew was even known to be present at tragic incident that nearly cost Harry his life during the Triwizard Tournament. I assure you, Sirius is innocent of all crimes, and has every right to be sitting in this room as any of you, even more so considering it is his house we are sitting in right now. I will not tolerate any discrimination towards Mr. Black, and I expect all of you to treat him with respect and kindness. As part of the Oath of Secrecy you have all taken, you will not expose Sirius' whereabouts to anyone. Please take my words seriously, for I will not be too forgiving if I hear of any abuse of Mr. Black," Dumbledore paused and looked around at the Order members, who looked rightfully ashamed of themselves for gawking at Sirius before. "With that, I call that this meeting be adjourned. The next meeting will be the twenty-first of July again at seven o'clock, which is next Wednesday. Please do not be late," Dumbledore finished as Alastor Moody quickly put away the scroll of parchment he had been writing on throughout the entire meeting.

"I second the motion, meeting adjourned. Can the eight other members of the Advance Guard hang back for a few minutes so I can discuss something with them, please?" Moody said, standing and replacing Dumbledore at the head of the table as Dumbledore left through the kitchen door. All but the eight Order members of the Guard stayed in there seats, plus Sirius, as the rest of the members filled out of the kitchen. The distant sounds of screaming could be heard coming from the upstairs hallway. "Shacklebolt, would you mind shutting the hag up?" Moody said with growl as his magical eye swiveled up to the ceiling, looking at the deranged witch in the portrait.

Kingsley stood up without a word and headed off to do as Moody instructed. It was several minutes before the shrieking had stopped, and a few more until Kingsley returned. "Sorry, traffic jam at the front door to get away from the screaming."

Everyone in the room laughed appreciatively, even Sirius. Moody was staring now at Sirius, magical and normal eye alike. "I guess letting you stay won't do any harm, Black, but keep your mouth shut about anything I say, got it?" He growled, squinting slightly at Sirius.

Sirius nodded as all eyes were directed onto him once more. "Of course, I won't say a word," Sirius reassured Moody and the whole room in general.

Moody nodded and looked away. "Right. Well, I'd like to discuss the route we will be taking to and from Surrey. I think that we should take a portkey to Greenland and take off from there. It'll be a bit longer of a flight, but we're sure not to be seen by any Death Eaters if we fly in from the complete opposite direction of London," he said, ignoring everyone's horrified looks.

Tonks was the first to snort in laughter and shake her head. "You truly are mad, Mad-Eye. That's ridiculous, we don't kneed to take a portkey anywhere. We can fly straight from London. Surrey is only two hours away coming from London. From Greenland, it would be a six hour flight. As long as we fly at night and keep bearing south away from the muggle motorways, we should be fine. Plus, we'd have to get a Ministry approval for a portkey to Greenland," Tonks explained, looking like she was quite used to these ridiculous plans.

Moody scowled as he looked over at Tonks. "There are ways of getting a portkey without the ruddy Ministry having to know, Missy. If you think we'll be ok coming from London, then I guess that's what well do. Everyone agree?" Moody asked looking around at the guard. Everyone nodded vigorously, obviously glad for Tonks' explanation. "Right then. We'll discuss the details at the next meeting. You're dismissed," Moody said as he gathered up a few folders and stalked out of the kitchen.

"Bloody hell he's gone insane. Greenland? I ask you, where's his mind gone?" Sturgis Podmore said with a nervous laugh as he stood to leave as well.

Tonks scowled and banged her fist on the table. "Alastor Moody is not insane! He simply over-plans and over analysis things. I've been through Auror training with him for the last two years. He's one of the most intelligent people I know," Tonks said, standing up and pulling on her coat. "I have rounds, see you all later," she said with a half-hearted wave before she left.

Everyone else left the kitchen without a word, except for Sirius and Remus. Arthur and Molly entered soon after.

Sirius turned to Remus, a look of curiosity on his face as he prepared to ask a million questions. He was momentarily distracted by Snape walking back into the kitchen.

"Lupin, a word please? In private," He asked, glancing at Sirius with a frown.

Remus stood up as he nodded. "Sure. I'll be right back," he told Sirius, who looked ready to tell Snape off. Remus exited the kitchen with Snape, leaving Sirius sitting at the table with a scowl on his face.

"What is it, Severus?" Remus asked as they entered a small room of to the side of the kitchen. It looked more like a rather large pantry than anything.

Severus let out a deep sigh and he pulled out his wand and lit the tip to give them a bit more light. He hated talking to people in the dark, surprisingly. He liked to watch people's facial expressions. "I'd like to ask you to do me a favor, Lupin. I want you to explain my position to Black. Everything. It was obvious from his glares that he had no idea I was even in the Order. I need him to understand so that he will not question my information," Severus explained, frowning lightly.

Remus looked confused, but nodded all the same. "Of course I'll explain it to him, I was planning on it anyways because I know he's going to ask," Remus said with a slight air of annoyance. He paused and studied Snape for a few seconds. "Why do you care if he questions you or not, Severus?" Remus asked curiously. He didn't particularly like Severus Snape, but he was still kind to him; It was just his nature.

Severus sighed and looked Remus straight in the eyes. "Because I believe his version of what happened to Potter and Lily, and I trust him," Severus snapped, sounding like he believed quite the contrary. "He owes me the decency of his belief and trust as well," Severus answered quietly. He would never admit that to Sirius, but he had no problem letting Remus know. Considering Remus was one of the only people to ever know his slight history with Lily while they were still in school, Severus did not trust anybody else with what he was saying, though his trust was not extended very far.

Remus nodded lightly. Severus seemed to be opening up to him more than usual. "And what made you have this change of heart? You were hell bent on his guilt back in the Shrieking Shack, if I'm not much mistaken," Remus said, slightly more acidly than he had intended. he ws starting to lose his kind demeanor very quickly.

Severus scowled. Remus was never going to let him live that down, was he? "After seeing Peter Pettigrew with my own eyes and speaking to the bastard myself, I was forced to conceit defeat and believe that Black is innocent. That doesn't mean I enjoy his company or forgive him for anything, however," Severus added with a smirk.

Remus rolled his eyes and snorted. "You have nothing to forgive, Severus. You were both equally guilty of being immature gits while in school. Surely you're still not holding some boyhood grudge against the man? Besides, what did James and Lily ever mean to you, other than a target?" Remus snapped.

Severus paled slightly as his expression softened. "You know full well what Lily meant to me, Lupin. You cannot pretend you didn't know, Lily had told me she confided in you. She wouldn't have wanted me to hold anything against Black. So no, I'm not holding any boyhood grudge against him. I dislike the man just as much as I did the boy. Just make sure you pass that on to him, will you?" Severus said, regaining his snappiness before pushing passed Remus and leaving the pantry.

Remus walked out and watched Severus walk up the stairs and into the hallway above. He had been a bit shocked by Severus' display of compassion towards Lily. He had not truly recognized what sort of pain Severus had gone through because of Lily's death. He had known they were quite close friends up until their fifth year, but he never thought of Snape as compassionate towards Lily in any way. Remus walked back into the kitchen to find Sirius and Arthur having a shot of firewhiskey. "Sorry. I'm back." Remus smiled at Sirius as he sat back down beside him.

"What did he want?" Sirius asked quickly, knocking back another shot and making a slightly amusing face. He had not had firewhiskey since way before he had been imprisoned.

Remus sighed as he poured himself a shot of firewhiskey and gulped it down. "He just wanted to make sure that his position in the Order is explained to you properly is all. As he didn't really desire to do it himself, he asked me to," Remus said with a absent looking frown.

Sirius nodded slowly as he took another shot. He sat in silence before standing up, and slumping over quickly. "Oh shit, I'm drunk," he muttered as he tried to regain his balance. He hadn't really thought about the fact that his alcohol tolerance would be slim to none after many years of being sober.

Remus chuckled lightly as he stood to help Sirius up. He put an arm around his waist and helped him steady his feet. "You prat, Padfoot. I think that was the fastest I've ever seen anyone get drunk in my life," he teased, smirking at his lover.

Sirius laughed, but scowled as he realized what Remus said. "That's not very nice, Moony," he said slowly. He suddenly grasped his stomach. "Uh-oh." and with that, he ran from the room and quickly headed for a toilet to get rid of all the alcohol in his system.

Remus laughed and shook his head as he sat back down at the table. He looked up to see Molly giving him a curious look before turning back to finish making supper. She obviously still had some hard feelings for Sirius, but didn't make it known.

There was a loud pop, making Remus jump in his seat and slop tea down his front. He turned around quickly to see the oldest and most horrible looking house elf he had ever seen. He crinkled his noise in disgust. Sirius walked in right behind the elf and his jaw dropped.

"Kreacher? You're still alive? Aw damn!" Sirius yelled, stomping his foot in a fit. He hated everything to do with his family, and now a living, breathing testament of his horrible up-bringing was standing before him, muttering incomprehensibly.

Remus chuckled lightly at the horrified look on Sirius face. He stood up and walked over to Sirius, deciding that getting him to a bed would be the best thing for him. "He's only a house elf, Sirius," Remus said soothingly as he led Sirius up the stairs and through the hallway, back towards the main staircase.

Sirius shook his head violently, but regretted it at once as his vision swam. He clung on to Remus, trying to steady himself. "You have no idea the horrors of that stupid elf, Remus. That thing was practically my mother growing up. The sodding creature raised both Regulus and I from babies, while my mother just supervised and was there to yell and beat us if we did anything wrong," Sirius said bitterly as Remus helped him up to his room.

"Amor Vos Frater," Remus muttered and he pushed open the bedroom door. He walked Sirius over to the bed, where he laid him down gently. Remus leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips, tasting the liquor lingering there. "I'll bring you up some dinner later, alright? You need to sleep this off," Remus said as he moved to leave.

Sirius sat up quickly, his head swimming again. "No! Stay with me, Moony..." he pleaded, pouting in an adorable way. He wanted Remus to stay with him so he had someone to cuddle with.

Remus sighed at the puppy dog eyed look Sirius was giving him. He simply couldn't resist that look, and his resolve turned to mush. "Fine, but were both going down to dinner later, alright?" Remus said as he crawled back into the bed with Sirius.

Sirius smile and cuddled up to the werewolf, burying his face in Remus' chest. "Mmm...alright," he muttered before dropping off to sleep, his arms wrapped tightly around his lover.

Remus ran a hand through Sirius hair, gently kissing the top of his head. With an exasperated sigh, he closed his eyes as well. This was certainly going to be interesting, living with Sirius at the Headquarters of the Order, and the place where Sirius grew up and despised. He let himself drift to sleep, holding a very drunk and snoring Sirius close to him.

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I hope the mishap with the dates didn't distract anyone from the story at all. I know, there wasn't very much Remus/Sirius in this chapter, but there has to be a storyline besides them you know! Please review and let me now how good/bad this chapter was! I'll be working on correcting the mistakes with the dates in previous chapters now, so it might take a few days to get chapter seven up! Keep the love flowing! Love y'all!


	7. The Other Guests of Grimmauld Place

**DISCLAIMER:** It all belongs to JKR, except my own ideas!

**A/N:** I'd like to say a special thanks to these people who have reviewed almost every single chapter and have stuck with this story; _remuslives23, dristi, lovefan81, Draco Malfoy Equals Love, _and_ rekahneko._ Thank you so much for being faithful fans! A huge shout-out and thanks to my beta as always, _Pickles and Twigs. _I'm so glad there are people who appreciate my story and want even more!

Here's chapter seven for you! It's a bit shorter, but I like this chapter for some reason lol. I know my Sirius is a bit out of character, as he's not as surely and pissy as book- or movie-Sirius, but the personality I've created for him is kind of stuck and it'd be really hard to change him. Just think of it as my artistic license to represent Sirius the way I thought he should be.

Updates may get slower because, alas, I'm moving out of my parents house and I have to pack! Woot for college! Oh ya, I'm looking for staff for my C2, if any of my faithful readers are interested (or any reader at all lol), message me and I'll add/invite you to staff it! The link is in my profile so check it out!

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**Ch 7.  
The Other Guests of Grimmauld Place**

"Oh God...I think I'm dying," Sirius muttered as he opened his eyes slowly. He clutched his head in pain and groaned. He felt Remus stir beside him and felt a hand rubbing his back slowly and soothingly.

Remus was trying not to laugh. Sirius' first hangover since prison, and it was quite amusing. He rubbed his back gently and leaned over to place a kiss on Sirius bare shoulder. "It's just a hangover, love. You'll be fine," Remus said with a smirk. He didn't mention the hangover potion he had, but he figured Sirius would remember it and ask for it eventually.

Sirius snuggled closer to Remus, frowning and squeezing his eyes closed. There was a dull pounding in his head that just wouldn't go away. "Moony, make it stop," he whined, clutching onto his lover. He simply wanted the hammering in his head to go away, was that too much to ask?

Remus sighed and pulled out of Sirius' embrace. He stood up and walked over to a small duffel bag laying on a chair in the corner of the room. He unzipped the front pocket and pulled out a small vial of purple liquid. "Here, drink this. You'll feel better right away," Remus said as he crawled back into the bed and handed Sirius the potion.

Sirius took the vial of purple liquid without question and knocked it back quickly. He lay on the bed, his eyes still closed and his head still pounding, until suddenly everything stopped. He opened his eyes and found that the light didn't feel like it was stabbing him, and his nausea was replaced with hunger. "Thanks, Moony. I take it we never went down to dinner last night?" Sirius said as he sat up and leaned his back against the headboard.

Remus shook his head as he raised his arms and stretched. He smiled and yawned a little before answering. "No, we both fell asleep. We must have been really tired," Remus said as he scooted closer to Sirius and placed a small kiss on his neck.

Sirius smirked and tilted his head to give Remus better access to his neck. "Well, we did tire ourselves out thoroughly, remember?" Sirius whispered, biting his lip in ecstasy as Remus kissed and nibbled all the right places. Sirius let his hands roam around the werewolf's body, feeling every inch of flesh he could reach.

Remus chuckled and pulled away from Sirius' neck. He kissed Sirius firmly on the lips before crawling out of bed. "How could I forget, Padfoot? That was the most amazing shag I've had in fourteen years. Well actually, it was the only shag I've had in fourteen years," Remus said with a smile as he put on a fresh change of clothes.

Sirius stumbled in shock as he got up out of the bed. He quickly regained his balance and looked over at Remus with a loving smile. "Really, Moony? No one else?" Sirius asked quietly as he walked forward. He had wanted to ask Remus for the last couple of weeks whether or not he had been with anyone else, but was afraid to hear the answer. The spell that Remus had placed on his side of the bed in their old flat was a clue, but he still wasn't sure.

Remus shook his head and stepped closer to Sirius, wrapping his arms lightly around him. "No, Sirius. No one else. It's always only been you, and I just couldn't see myself with anyone else," Remus answered truthfully. He leaned in and kissed Sirius gently. He'd never been with anyone but Sirius; ever.

Sirius smiled and let out a content sigh as he kissed Remus back, wrapping his arms around the werewolf's neck. It meant more to him than he could ever say that Remus had stayed faithful to him, even though he probably didn't deserve it. "What if I would have stayed in Azkaban for the rest of our lives? Would you have found anyone else then?" Sirius asked quietly, resting his forehead against Remus' chest.

Remus sighed and shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think so. What would be the point? I'd never be able to give my heart to anyone else because you would still have it," Remus whispered, placing a kiss on Sirius' silky hair and smiling to himself. Merlin did he love the man in his arms.

Sirius looked up and stared into the golden-amber eyes of his lover. He smiled and kissed him again, feeling slightly awkward that he almost had to tippy-toe to reach Remus' lips. "I love you," he muttered against Remus' lips.

Remus leaned down a little so that Sirius didn't have to reach up so much and kissed him back. "I love you too, Padfoot," he said with a smile. "Now, I'm starving since your drunken arse kept me from dinner last night. Change your clothes and we'll go down to breakfast," Remus said as he walked over to the dresser and grabbed the brush. He quickly pulled it through his hair before going into the bathroom and brushing his teeth.

Sirius chuckled and went to his closet to pull out some clothes. He pulled on a shirt and a pair of slacks, and was slightly shocked to find that his pants actually fit him. "Wow, look Moony! Pants that fit!" he said excitedly as he walked into the bathroom to show Remus his discovery.

Remus rinsed his mouth and put away his toothbrush before turning to Sirius and smirking. He bit his lip for second, unsure if he should tell him or not. "Well...I sort of found a spell in that book Dumbledore gave me. It's supposed to adjust your clothing to fit you no matter what. So as you gain a bit of weight, your clothes will adjust to fit properly," Remus explained as he dried his hands with a towel.

Sirius stared at Remus for a few minutes before he smiled and laughed lightly. "What would I do without you, Remus? You just have an answer for everything," Sirius teased, walking over and giving Remus a quick kiss.

Remus laughed and shook his head. "Come on, Padfoot, I'm starving here," he said, heading out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom door. He turned and waited for Sirius to join him before walking out, hand in hand with his lover.

RSRSRSRS

Molly gave Remus and Sirius a curious look at breakfast, but said nothing of it as she served them some kippers and eggs. "So why didn't you two come down for dinner last night? I was starting to get a bit worried," Molly said as she sat the plates down in front of Remus and Sirius. The kitchen was empty besides the two men, Molly, and her husband.

Sirius looked over at Remus curiously, not quite sure what to say. "I came over a bit ill after those shots last night, so I went up to bed," Sirius said simply, eating his eggs with gusto. His mad mood about being in this house seemed to have improved a bit, but only because he had Remus with him.

Remus glanced at Sirius before smiling at Molly. "I had to help get this oaf to bed. You should have seen him stumbling up the stairs. I decided to watch over him. He has a tendency to retch in his sleep, and I didn't want him to choke to death," Remus said, trying to sound as unaffectionate as possible while talking about his lover throwing up.

Molly pursed her lips and stared daggers at Sirius, who seemed to deflate under her gaze. He sighed and looked questioningly at Remus, who nodded his head slowly. "Well, since you two are going to be living here with us, we might as well just get this out of the way. You'll find out eventually anyways," Sirius paused, looking over at Remus, who was studying his breakfast intently. "Remus and I are together," he said simply, watching Molly's expression for any kind of disgust. He was surprised when she smiled widely, however.

"Oh I _knew_ it! I _knew_ there was something more between you two. It's fairly obvious," Molly said with a quiet laugh as she sat down to eat breakfast with the rest of them.

Arthur looked up from the _Prophet_ and shrugged lightly. "Could have fooled me. Good for you, though," Arthur said with a kind smile.

Remus sighed in relief as he looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you. Can I ask that you keep this between yourselves, however? Especially don't tell your children, we're not quite ready to tell Harry yet and they'd waste no time in doing so," Remus said with a chuckle.

Molly laughed and nodded. "Of course, our lips are sealed. And if I may be so bold, you two make an adorable couple!" she exclaimed before returning her attention back to her breakfast.

Remus and Sirius both looked at each other and laughed. It felt good to actually let people in on their secret. At least they wouldn't have to hide it around Molly and Arthur. After breakfast, Sirius decided to show Remus the library, which was still being cleaned by the Weasley kids.

"Hey George, look who we have here," Fred Weasley said quietly, nodding at Remus and Sirius as they walked in and looked around at all the shelves. He noticed a few little glances between them, something odd he couldn't really place.

George looked up from the pile of books he was dusting off and saw the two men standing awfully close and laughing with each other. "They're quite friendly, aren't they?" George said with a smirk as he joined his twin on the other side of the table. He watched closely as they examined the spines of the books, lightly brushing up against each other.

Fred nodded and raised an eyebrow as Sirius removed a dust-bunny from Remus' hair in quite more than a friendly fashion. "Definitely more than friends, I say," Fred whispered, looking over his shoulder to make sure Ron and Ginny weren't listening in.

George snickered lightly as Sirius sneezed and was quickly given a handkerchief by Remus. "Oh most definitely, Fred," George said with a smile. Both the twins turned quickly back to their work as Sirius and Remus began to approach them.

"Hello Fred, George," Remus said with a smile and a nod of his head. "As I'm sure you're already aware, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Fred," he pointed to the right twin surprisingly, "and this is George. The Weasley twins," he said with a smirk.

Sirius smirked and shook their hands as they offered them. "I hear you two took over for James and I as mischief makers at Hogwarts? Even used our map." Sirius winked at the two tall, red headed boys.

Fred laughed as he nodded lightly. "It's nice to finally meet Padfoot," he teased, though he really did find it fascinating that they were finally meeting one of the people that created that amazing map.

George winked as he shook Sirius' hand. "We owe you and Moony here quite a lot. That map saved our arses more times than we can count."

Sirius let out a bark like laugh, which made Ron jump in the corner and dropped a stack full of books. "Sorry, Ron. Didn't meant to scare you."

Ron scowled as he absentmindedly rubbed his leg where the jaw shaped scars were. He picked up the books and replaced them on a shelf. "You didn't scare me, just surprised me," he said defiantly.

There was a snort of laughter from the other side of the book shelf and a brilliantly red headed girl stepped into view, holding a large blue book in her hands. "Whatever Ron. You're just a chicken." She walked over to Sirius and held out her hand. "Ginny Weasley." She smiled.

Sirius' jaw dropped slightly as he examined the girl. He couldn't help but get a flashback of Lily Evans back in their fourth year of Hogwarts. Ginny looked a lot like her, except that her eyes were a soft golden-brown, whereas Lily's were bright emerald. "Nice to meet you Ginny," Sirius said as he shook her hand and looked over at Remus with a smirk.

Ginny and Ron returned to their work and the twins were sitting with their heads together, whispering about something. They turned to glance at Remus and Sirius and had the same exact mischievous grin gracing their identical features.

Remus laughed as he led the way back out of the library, shaking his head exasperatedly. "Those aren't even half of their children. Well, actually it is," Remus said, counting off on his fingers. He looked over at Sirius, who was still smirking. "I know, she's looks extraordinarily like Lily," Remus mused with a sigh.

Sirius nodded, letting out a quiet laugh. "Does she ever. With Harry looking exactly like James, and her like Lily...Ten to one, Harry and Ginny get married. Take it or leave it," Sirius teased, making a bet on his godson already.

Remus laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. Something tells me Harry isn't into her..._type_." Remus smirked, looking over at Sirius with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius shook his head, opening his mouth the retort. "No! You think Harry is-?"

"Hi Sirius! Molly is looking for you, said something about a house elf and that crazy picture of your mum," Tonks said brightly as she bounded up the steps right in front of Remus and Sirius.

Sirius looked slightly annoyed but nodded. "Alright. I guess I better go see what that wretched creature is doing this time. You coming?" He looked back at Remus as he began to descend the stairs.

Remus was just about to say yes and follow him when Tonks stepped in front of him, still smiling widely. "Actually, I was wondering if I could speak with you, Rem. About our project?" Tonks said with a quick glance back at Sirius.

Remus frowned at the sound of his name being shortened. Only Sirius every called him 'Rem' and he didn't like the way Tonks had said it. "Uh, sure. I'll see you around, Padfoot," Remus said as he waved off Sirius who was scowling at the back of Tonks' head.

Tonks smiled even wider, her eyes sparkling. "Great! Do you want to take a walk with me? There's a little park not far away from here," Tonks asked quickly, staring at Remus with expectant eyes.

Remus felt thoroughly annoyed now. It was obvious whatever Tonks wanted to talk about, it would not be their project in the Order. Not being able to find any way out of it, Remus smiled politely and nodded. "Sure, I guess," he said, trying not to sound too reluctant.

Tonks brightened as she started to make her way down the steps. She tip-toed through the hallway of screaming portraits and tapped her wand on the door to open it, looking back to make sure Remus was right there behind her. As they gained the fresh air of outside, Tonks took a deep breath. "Ah, the outside world! I don't know how you could stand to live there, Rem, it's horrible," Tonks said with a slight look of disgust as they began walking together down the street. Tonks had her hand in the inside pocket of her coat on the handle of her wand, just in case. Constant vigilance!

Remus frowned again at the nickname, and even deeper as Tonks criticized Sirius' house. "Well it's not like I have much of a choice, and besides, I like staying there with Sirius," Remus said, a bit defensively. So it wasn't the grandest place in the world, but it was a sight nicer than living on the streets.

Tonks frowned slightly and looked over at Remus, trying to read his expression. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." she stayed quiet for a few minutes, waiting for a response that never came. "You've been a bit snappy with me lately, Rem. Is everything alright with us?" she asked with a curious little smile.

Remus stopped walking and let out an annoyed sigh. "Look, Nymphadora. There is no 'us', and my name is Remus. We're hardly even friends," Remus snapped, glaring slightly at the younger woman.

Tonks bit her lip and looked pointedly at the ground, feeling her heart shatter. "Right...I'm sorry to have bothered then," she said quietly before walking away, still not looking up. She didn't know why Remus didn't like her suddenly. They had been getting a long just fine before.

Remus felt instantly guilty for what he had said. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, he just wanted to get his point across. "Tonks, wait! I'm sorry!" he called after her, running forward. There was nothing for it though, as Tonks turned on her heel and disapparated, looking up at him long enough to show her pained expression. Remus growled in frustration as he turned back around and headed back to the house. Once inside, he headed straight for the kitchen, as it was nearing dinner time and he felt like having a drink.

"There you are! Where were you? I thought my cousin had kidnapped you," Sirius teased with a smirk. His smile faltered however when he say the angry look on Remus face as he plopped down into the chair beside Sirius. "What's wrong, Moony?" he asked quietly.

Remus scratched the back of his neck to give him time to think before looking over at Sirius, frowning. "I told her off. I feel horrible. She just wouldn't stop calling me 'Rem'. Only you call me that," Remus said quietly back as Molly shuffled around with a few pots and pans.

Sirius nodded his head bit his lip in thought. "She'll get over it. She's a Black, her skin's thicker than cold custard," Sirius teased, trying to lighten the mood and get a smile out of Remus.

Remus sighed deeply and stood up, walking over to Molly who was standing at the stove. "Do you need any help with dinner, Molly? I'd be happy to lend a hand," Remus said with a polite smile. He needed something to take his mind off of everything just for a little while.

Molly looked slightly surprised for a few seconds, but then smiled. "Well thank you, Remus! Um, could you wash and chop those potatoes over there for me?" Molly asked as she tapped the pot of water to start it boiling.

Remus nodded as he moved over to the sink full of potatoes and began to wash them under the faucet. He did everything by hand, instead of using his wand. It would have been much easier with magic, but Remus didn't want it to be easy.

Sirius frowned as he watched Remus clean and chop up potatoes, acting as if each potato had done him a personal wrong and chopping it with indecent force. Sirius was just about to walk over and take the knife from Remus out of fear for his fingers when the kitchen door opened and in paraded a number of people; Dumbledore, Fred and George, Ron, Ginny, and a girl with bushy brown hair Sirius knew to be Hermione Granger.

"Good evening Molly! I come bearing your children plus one. Miss Granger will be staying in Ginny's room with her. Is that quite all right with every one?" Dumbledore asked, looking around at Ginny, Hermione, and Molly.

Molly beamed as she walked over and hugged Hermione briefly. "Hello Hermione! Oh that should be just fine, Albus. Thank you. Will you stay for supper? It's almost ready," Molly asked with a wide smile and a nod towards the stove.

Hermione smiled and hugged Mrs. Weasley back, glancing quickly over at Sirius. "Hello Mrs. Weasley," she said quietly.

Dumbledore beamed and patted Molly lightly on the shoulder. "I'd love to Molly, thank you, but I'm afraid I have to run off once more. A rain check, perhaps?" he said politely as he checked his strange, many-handed pocket watch.

Molly nodded and smiled at the old man. "Of course, Albus. Any time! I'll see you at the meeting then," Molly said as she waved to Dumbledore as he left the kitchen. "I want you lot to all go wash your hands before supper. I know you didn't do it after handling those books, Ronald. Go," she said, pointing all of the children out of the kitchen and turning back to the stove.

Remus sat down the knife as he finished chopping the potatoes and carried the bowl over to Molly. "Here you are Molly. I hope I cut them small enough," Remus said as he handed the bowl off.

Molly nodded as she took the bowl and poured it slowly into the pot of boiling stew. "Oh yes, they're cut perfectly Remus. Thank you. That's all I needed really. You just sit and relax." Molly stirred the stew quickly as she waved her wand and summoned a loaf of bread from the cabinet behind her.

Remus went and sat back down beside Sirius, feeling a bit better after taking his anger out on the potatoes. He smiled at Sirius and sighed. "Sorry...I had to do _something_ to get it out of my system," he said quietly to his lover.

Sirius laughed and shook his head. Remus was so adorable when he was angry. "Those poor potatoes sure felt your wrath, Moony. Oh yeah, apparently Kreacher has been taking all sorts of mad orders from my mother's portrait. Scared the day lights out of Molly when she found Kreacher standing over her bed with a pair of scissors in his hand. Bloody elf," Sirius snorted in an annoyed fashion as he shook his head.

Remus frowned and raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "That's not very safe. He shouldn't be allowed to take orders from a portrait," Remus said, feeling quite sure that house elves could only take orders from living people.

Sirius nodded. "He's gone round the twist that one. I told him he's not to listen to my mother's portrait or try to harm anyone in this house in any way. Hopefully that'll stop the bloody psycho from doing anything disastrous." Sirius scowled.

The door opened and all of the Weasley children, plus Hermione, entered and took the rest of the empty seats around the table. "Hello Professor, Mr. Black," Hermione said, smiling politely at Remus and Sirius.

Sirius snickered at the word 'Professor'. "Oh please. Call me Sirius, Hermione," Sirius said with a soft laugh and a smile. He hated being called 'Mr. Black'. He was trying very hard to forget he was a Black, thank you very much.

Remus smiled and shook his head at Hermione. "You needn't call me Professor, Hermione. Remus is just fine. How have you been?" Remus asked, quite fond of the intelligent girl. She was his most gifted student, besides Harry, when he had taught at Hogwarts the year before.

Hermione blushed lightly and nodded. "I've been well. I took a trip to France recently. You wouldn't believe the amazing things I saw! Did you know that the witch hunt of 1504..." and soon after that, Remus and Hermione were engrossed in a conversation about witch hunts and History of Magic, which bore Sirius to death.

"Merlin, they're both like that," Ron said as he rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea that his mother had just brought over for everyone.

Sirius chuckled and studied Ron for a few seconds. "They're too smart for their own good. They can't help but ooze knowledge when they find another highly intelligent being to converse with," Sirius teased.

Ron spluttered and spit some of his tea out as he laughed. He quickly wiped up the mess before his mother saw and smiled at Sirius. Maybe the man wasn't so bad after all. "You had to deal with one of them in school too, eh? I bet Lupin let you copy though," Ron said with a short laugh.

Sirius let out a bark like laugh and took a sip of his own tea. "Oh yes, I've been through 'One Thousand Reasons Why Copying Is Wrong', then turned around and copied his work anyways. He never minded though," Sirius joked, smiling affectionately at the werewolf, who was still chatting merrily with Hermione.

Ron howled with laughter as he spit tea out all over the place, getting a disapproving look from his mother, who waved her wand to clear the mess. "Now really, Ronald! Compose yourself with a _little_ more decency than a troll, _please_?" Molly snapped, turning back to the stew.

Ron and Sirius exchanged an amused glance as everyone turned to look at the commotion happening at their end of the table. Maybe living in a house full of people wouldn't be so bad after all, Sirius thought. At least he'd never be alone.

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's a bit...out there...But It's still a chapter, right? This may be the last update for a couple of days, so enjoy it and review! there's still plenty of story to read, so don't abandon me! Wish me luck with my packing! XD Love y'all! (I say 'y'all' too much. I sound like a hick XD Which I'm totally not.)


	8. Bolts, Bumps, and Betrayal

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own them, I just make them touch each other!

**A/N:** Well here is chapter eight! It's the second longest chapter, woot! Now that I have this posted, chapter posting will become more and more spread out. Packing is a bitch. I hope you like this one! Leave me lots of reviews and love so I can come back to a massively filled inbox!

I'm still looking for staff for my C2, and I'd love a bit of advice on something; should I make a prequel to this story after this one is complete? I was thinking about writing a Marauder era Remus/Sirius fic, so why not make it the prequel to this one?? Let me know what you all think!

**WARNING: **There's quite a bit of cussing in this chapter, as well as tons of spoilers from book 5 and up.

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**Ch 8.  
Bolts, Bumps, and Betrayal  
**

"HOLY MOTHER OF MERLIN! SON OF A BIT-!" Ron yelled as a bolt came flying at his head and hit its target.

"RONALD WEASLEY, WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Molly shrieked as she carried a box of heavy books out into the hallway. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked around at the large grandfather clock that was shooting heavy bolts as people walked by.

Remus was laying underneath said grandfather clock, a muggle wrench in his hands. "Sirius, hand me that screw driver over there," Remus said as he pointed to the left. He had been trying to fix this stupid clock all day, and he finally found the problem.

Sirius looked over at the tool box and frowned. "Er...Moony, what's a screw driver?" Sirius asked in a confused voice. He wasn't used to all these muggle things, Remus tended to forget that sometimes.

Hermione giggled as she bent down and picked up the screw driver Remus had been referring to. "Here you go, Sirius. This is a screw driver,"she said calmly, as if explaining something quite simple to someone plainly obtuse.

Sirius smiled at Hermione and nodded. "Oh, right. Thanks, Hermione," Sirius said as he knelt down and handed the screw driver to Remus. "Did you find the problem?" he asked curiously. Sirius had been so overly fascinated by the repair of the clock, he had been asking Remus all day if he'd figured it out or not.

Remus took the screw driver and continued to turn the wrench slowly until there was a loud click. He quickly took the screw driver and tightened a screw at the base of the pendulum. A very loud clanging resounded as the pendulum began to swing back and forth, the clock ticking the seconds off loudly. Remus pushed himself out from under the clock, rubbing his ears slightly after being assaulted by the loud noise. "Yeah, I figured it out Sirius," Remus said with an annoyed look on his face.

Sirius held out a hand and helped Remus up off the floor. "Aw, you're such a good handy-man, Moony," Sirius teased as he reluctantly dropped Remus' hand from his own.

Remus smirked and shook his head, turning away from Sirius to help Molly with another heavy box of books. "Molly, let me get the rest of these, you go take a break," Remus said as he pulled the box out of her arms.

Molly smiled appreciatively and let Remus take the box. "Thank you, Remus. I'll go down and make us all some lunch. I'll bring it up when it's ready," Molly turned to go back down the stairs when she paused and glanced back at the twins, who were whispering together again; never a good sign. "Remus, can you please make sure the twins don't blow anything up and keep them busy?" she asked quietly.

Remus laughed and nodded as he sat the box of books on top of the other one. "Of course, Molly. Don't worry about it, I can handle trouble makers," Remus said with a quick glance and a smirk at Sirius.

Sirius chuckled as he wiped down the front of the grandfather clock with a moist rag. "This house is waging war on us," Sirius said as he wiped the same spot for the tenth time. He growled as he pulled out his wand and blasted the dirt away instead.

Remus laughed at Sirius' actions. It was clearly obvious that he was a stranger to cleaning- anything. "Yes, and I believe it's winning," Remus chuckled as Ron came running out of a room shrieking about spiders the size of car tires and locking himself in the bathroom.

Sirius sighed and threw the rag back into the bucket of soapy water at his feet. "We should move on the the drawing room now," Sirius said, pointing at the door the the left of his bedroom.

Remus nodded and moved towards the door. "All of my boxes are still in there, but we can move them somewhere else. That room might come in handy," Remus said with a nod.

"Who's Regulus?" Ginny asked as she attempted to turn the door knob of the door straight across from Sirius' room.

"Ginny, no!" Sirius yelled as he lunged forward to stop her.

Many things happened in a quick succession. Ginny screamed as she was thrown backwards by some unseen force after trying to enter Regulus' room and slammed into the wall, slumping over seemingly unconscious. The twins ran over, yelling obscene things at Sirius and checking to see if Ginny was ok. Mrs. Weasley ran up the stairs, shoving the tray of sandwiches in her hands into Remus' hands, and Ron came flying out of the bathroom, his pants unzipped and threatening to slide down.

"Ginny! What happened?" Molly asked as she fell to her knees beside her daughter and checked her pulse.

"What the hell's going on?" Ron yelled, trying to do his pants up while rushing over to the crowd around Ginny.

Remus put the tray of sandwiches down on top of one of the boxes and rushed over to Ginny's side as well as Sirius kicked the wall beside Regulus' door. "Sirius, what happened? Why did Regulus' door do that?" Remus asked, brushing aside Ginny's hair gently to see if she was bleeding at all. "Don't move her, if her neck or back is broken it could cause serious damage," Remus said quickly.

There was a whimper from behind Ron and they all turned to see Hermione standing there, tears streaming down her cheeks. Ron rushed over and pulled her into a hug, whispering something nobody else could hear.

Sirius cursed and started pacing. "It's a protective charm on the door to keep anyone from getting in without the password. If it feels threatened, it'll send out a wave of energy. That's why both our doors have passwords, to keep other people out," Sirius explained with a worried expression. "I should have told you all that, but I just forgot. I tried to stop her-"

"Sirius, calm down. It's alright. It's not your fault," Remus said as he pulled his wand out. "I'm going to wake her up, but she can't move or she might hurt herself more. Molly, keep a grip on her arms and make sure she doesn't try to move. Fred, George, keeping her from turning her head," Remus directed as he touched the tip of his wand to Ginny's chest. "_Ennervate!_"

Ginny blinked her eyes slowly, her vision a little blurry. She could see a bunch of people staring at her, and could feel someone holding her arms down and her head from moving. She groaned before trying to speak. "Whas happenin?" she slurred, trying to blink her vision into focus.

Remus looked into her eyes, which didn't look dilated at all. "Ginny, don't try to move. Are you in any serious pain? Does your back or neck hurt at all?" Remus asked quickly.

Ginny went to shake her head, but remembered what he had just said. "No, my head hurts a little, but I feel fine other than that," she said, her vision finally starting to come back to her.

Remus nodded and stood up. "Lean her forward very slowly, but try not to turn her head at all." Remus instructed. The twins leaned her forward very gently and Remus checked for any cuts or blood, and gently pressed a hand to her neck to feel for broken bones. She had a rather large bump on the back of her head, but everything else looked fine. "She's fine, just a little bump. I'll give her a pain potion, she can sleep it off. She'll be alright," he reassured Molly with a smile as he helped Ginny up off the floor.

Molly sighed in relief as she pulled Ginny into a hug. "You go straight to bed and take this potion," Molly instructed as Remus handed a small bottle of green liquid to Ginny.

"I'm ok, mum. Geez..." Ginny muttered exasperatedly as he took the potion and headed down the hallway towards her room. They all treated her like she was a baby still. She could handle a little bit of pain and a bump on the head. For heaven's sake she was attacked by a sodding _door_.

Sirius frowned as everyone turned to stare at him. How was this his fault? He tried to stop her, but he wasn't fast enough. Maybe she should have minded her own business and left the bloody door alone. Sirius glared right back and glanced at Molly quickly. Molly ushered the twins, Ron, and Hermione away down stairs, taking the tray of sandwiches with her.

Remus walked forward as Molly and the kids disappeared. "Are you ok, Sirius?" he asked quietly, putting a hand on his lover's cheek lightly. It wasn't Sirius fault at all, but the Weasley's seemed to have thought differently.

Sirius sighed and nodded, feeling slightly put out. "They hate me, Remus. They still don't trust me," Sirius frowned, leaning against Remus chest.

Remus pulled Sirius into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "They don't hate you Sirius. They're just trying to get used to having you around," Remus said quietly. He knew Molly still had some trust issues with Sirius, but the kids all seemed to like him just fine.

There was a loud clanging and an even louder pop as the grandfather clock started shooting bolts again. Sirius couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation. Today had been a complete waste of time, to say the least. "Let's go get cleaned up. The meeting starts in a couple of hours," Sirius said as he pulled away from Remus.

Remus scowled at the stupid clock and pulled Sirius out of the way just in time as a bolt came flying towards where Sirius' head was seconds before. "I hate that fucking clock," Remus deadpanned, sending a stunner at it and succeeding in the speeding the bolts up. "I give up, I'll fix it when my patience comes back. Let's go shower," Remus said with a sigh.

RSRSRSRS

This time when Remus and Sirius sat down at the enlarged dining table, nobody seemed to notice nor care that Sirius was even there. Except for one person, sitting all the way in the back corner and staring at him with an expressionless face; Snape.

Sirius shifted in his seat to whisper into Remus' ear. "You never did explain to me what Snape's little job is," Sirius said, glancing back at Snape, who was still staring.

Remus sighed and leaned back. "I know. I have a feeling you'll find out everything you need to know at this meetin," Remus whispered back before leaning back forward. He glanced around and locked gazes with Tonks, who blushed and quickly turned away.

"Good evening everyone! The meeting is now in session. First on the list is the Advance Guard details. Alastor, please continue," Dumbledore said as he took the seat beside Remus and Sirius and let Moody take his spot at the head of the table.

Moody shuffled through some papers in his hands before looking up at all of the Order members. "I've come up with a route from London to Surrey that will be very hard to detect. It's easy enough to understand if you look at the map, which I will be handing out to the Guard members. Now, when the Guard collects Potter, we will need some sort of signal overhead to mark that the way is still clear of muggle aeroplanes or anything else that will give us away. We'll need someone to hang back on our flight to and from London and keep an eye out for us. I need a different volunteer for this, however, because I've already devised a flight plan using the Guard members we already have," Moody said, looking around at the room.

Nobody moved or spoke for a few seconds. It seemed everyone who was brave enough to attempt the Guard was already in it. With a slight creak of wood, everyone turned to look towards the back corner where Snape had leaned forward. "I'll do it," he said shortly, looking a bit annoyed.

Moody nodded his head and growled his approval. "Alright, good. So when we get to Surrey, I want you to hang back and stay up as high as you can go to keep a watch out for anything coming. We'll disillusion you to keep you hidden up there. At seven-fifteen, send up red sparks if everything is clear. If not, send up blue ones. We'll take the red sparks as a signal to mount our brooms. At seven-twenty, send up green sparks if the coast is still clear, and we'll take that as a signal to take off. Now, I want you to hang back for a while to make sure no one is tailing us. At eight o'clock, start making your way back. Are we clear on this?" he asked, looking around at the Guard members with his normal eye and keeping his magical eye on Snape. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Right. I'm putting Lupin in charge of keeping an eye out for the signals," he said, making a few notes on his parchment. "Well, that's it. I'll give out these maps and instructions after the main meeting," Moody said as he returned to his previous seat, letting Dumbledore take the head spot once more.

"Thank you, Alastor. Now for our second item on the list; Guard duty at the Ministry. After a few of my own inspections, I have come to conclusion that Tonks' and Remus' observations are quite correct. The time between the hours eight and eleven P.M. are definitely a weak spot in the corridor to the Department of Mysteries. I have written up a schedule of-"

"Sir, I have some information concerning this topic. Would it be ok to share?" Snape asked from his spot in the back of the room, looking only at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Certainly, Severus. What news have you from the Dark Lord?" Dumbledore asked.

There was a small gasp from the middle of the table where Remus and Sirius were sitting. Remus shot a quick glance at Sirius, who coughed to hide his slight gasp. Severus sent Sirius and Remus a glare before turning back to Dumbledore.

"I was present at a meeting a week ago today. Lucius Malfoy gave a report on the hours of the Department of Mysteries much the same way Lupin and Tonks did. They had all the same information. However, he let something slip that I'm sure was not supposed to be said. He mentioned that there is now an Unspeakable who works in the Hall of Prophecy under the Imperius Curse," Severus finished, nodding gravely at Dumbledore.

"The Hall of Prophecy? I thought that was only a fable," Emmeline Vance said from the far right of the room.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly under his breath. "Oh I assure you, Miss Vance, the Hall of Prophecy is quite real." He turned back to Severus. "Thank Severus, that gives me a great deal of information. Now that my assumptions are correct, I feel the need to explain what this all means. Before Harry Potter was born, there was a prophecy made referring to the Dark Lord and somebody else. I will not give a full description of the Prophecy, I will only say that it indeed referred to Mr. Potter and the Dark Lord. This information was given to Voldemort," there was a nervous cough from the back of the room as Snape stared down at the floor, "resulting in the deaths of Lily and James Potter, and the attempt at Harry Potter's life. However, the information Voldemort received was not complete. In his attempts to kill the boy, he gave Harry the power to destroy him," Dumbledore paused, looking around at everyone's shocked faces.

"So, this Prophecy said that Harry is supposed to defeat Voldemort?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide in fear and awe. His godson was supposed to destroy Voldemort?

Dumbledore nodded. "In a way, yes. However, Voldemort never received the other half of the Prophecy; the half that explained the power with which he was supposed to be destroyed, and the reason for it. _'...and the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...'_ " Dumbledore recited from memory, staring over at Severus who was looking up at him, his eyes wide and the colour drained from his face.

Severus quickly got up out of his seat and made his way out of the kitchen, suddenly feeling violently ill. That was the half of the Prophecy he had not heard, the half he had not told Voldemort those many years ago. It all made sense now. Voldemort had essentially dug his own grave, or Severus had dug Harry's for him. He put a hand over his mouth as he leaned back against wall with his eyes closed, feeling nauseous.

"Lupin, kindly go check on Severus for me, would you?" Dumbledore said quietly, inclining his head towards Remus.

Remus gulped and shook himself out of his shock. He nodded and stood up numbly without a word, leaving the kitchen. He found Severus leaning against the wall outside of the door, his eyes closed and his hand over his mouth as if he was going to be sick.

Severus opened his eyes as he heard the kitchen door open and someone walked out. He lowered his hand and gulped down the lump in his throat, not looking directly at Lupin.

"It was you...The whole time it was you. You're the reason they're dead," Lupin whispered, looking horrified at the man in front of him.

"Lupin, please...I had no idea of knowing who the Prophecy was referring to...I was stupid and young and I wanted in _His_ good graces. It was also I who warned Dumbledore about the approaching attack on the Potters. I'm the one who told Dumbledore to send them into hiding. I may not have liked James, but I never wanted him dead. I owed him my own life. I tried to make sure they were protected, that nothing would happen to them. You have to believe me, I never wanted Lily or James to die," Severus said quietly, trying to keep the painful emotion out of his voice, but failing near the end when he uttered Lily's name.

"And what, you didn't give a rat's arse about Harry, the child who the Prophecy referred to? He's Lily's son, Severus!" Remus exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. How could he have been so blind. Of course, it was so obvious now! Dumbledore's unexplained trust in Snape was because of this.

Severus shook his head, his expression becoming even more saddened. "Of course I didn't want Harry to die. I didn't want anyone to die! I may be many things, Remus, but heartless isn't one of them," Severus pleaded in a whisper. He knew that Remus was sure to have figured it out, even if the rest of the room was clueless.

Remus bit his lip in thought before glaring at Severus. "Could have fooled me, Snape," he said with a look of pure loathing. He could just imagine the look on Sirius' face if he were to ever find this out. Remus couldn't let that happen; Sirius would surely kill Snape. Though Remus was disgusted, he didn't want Severus dead.

"That's enough, Remus. Please join us back in the kitchen, both of you." Dumbledore had walked out and heard the very end of their conversation. He turned and went back into the kitchen, Remus and Severus following behind him.

Severus made his way back to his chair in the corner, not looking at anyone. He simply stared down at the ground, a look of pained anger on his face.

Remus sat back down beside Sirius, not looking at his lover in fear of giving away the secret. He looked back towards Dumbledore, who waited until both men were sitting back down before leaning forward once more.

"The Dark Lord is desperate to hear this other half of the Prophecy. He was unaware that he had not heard the whole thing, but due to what happened to him on that fateful night, he has to believe there's something else to the Prophecy. He wants to hear the whole thing for himself. My theory is that he is going to send Death Eaters to retrieve it by any means possible. As we've heard from Severus, there is already a man under the Imperius Curse working inside the Hall of Prophecy itself. Now, what Voldemort does not know, is that only the person or persons to which the Prophecy refers can even touch the Prophecy without losing their minds," Dumbledore explained with a frown.

Everyone sat in shocked silence. They were receiving quite a bit of information in such a short time, their brains were trying to wrap around all these ideas and plans. Tonks looked back towards Snape. "Did Lucius Malfoy mention a name when he announced that there was an Unspeakable that had been Imperiused?" she asked him curiously.

Severus shook his head, still not looking up at anyone. "No, just that he was an Unspeakable who was known to work specifically in the Hall of Prophecy," Severus told the floor.

Tonks looked back over at Dumbledore, who seemed lost in thought. "Sir, if we can find out all of the names of the people who work in the Hall of Prophecy and question these people, we may be able to find out who is Imperiused. I know it may not stop You-Know-Who at this rate, but we could save someone from losing their minds if we do this before the attempt to remove the Prophecy takes place," Tonks said, her voice sounding much more confident than she was.

Dumbledore studied Tonks carefully. "That is quite a feat to be attempting, Tonks. The identities of the Unspeakables are almost impossible to find out, especially ones who work in certain areas of the Department," Dumbledore said with a curious smile.

Tonks nodded, but opened her mouth to speak again. "But if someone like Lucius Malfoy can figure it out, surely we can find a way of discovering the names as well," Tonks said, a little less confidently this time.

Sirius snorted and leaned forward. "Yeah, if you're swimming in gold and screwing the Minister up the arse, sure you can figure it out," Sirius said with a slight scowl. Was everyone truly that daft?

A few people broke out in nervous laughter at Sirius' outburst, causing Tonks to glare at everyone. "It was only a suggestion Siri-"

"That is enough. We are not here to fight! Remus, I will put you on the task of trying to find out the names of the Unspeakables who work in the Hall of Prophecy. I know it's a long shot, but we have to at least give it a try. Sirius, I want you to research everything and anything about the Hall of Prophecy and Department of Mysteries. Find out everything you can and write up a report of all the information you find that you think will help. Severus, I want you to try to find out anything you can from Lucius Malfoy without making your intent obvious. Tonks, you have first watch on the Department of Mysteries starting tomorrow night. You will enter the Ministry at six-thirty and head down to the Department corridor. Once there, I want you to stay as out of the way as possible. You will write down the names of the people who exit and enter, if any at all, or a description of the person if you cannot discover their name. You will not be seen entering or exiting the Ministry, as you'll be under an Invisibility cloak the entire time," Dumbledore paused and looked around at everyone who seemed to be paying the closest attention now. "I will leave the name of the next person who will be on Guard duty with Tonks, and she will pass the cloak and notebook onto that person. In the notebook will be the list of people who will stand guard and at what time. If you are assigned Guard duty and cannot make it at that time, pass the cloak and notebook onto the next person on the list. Does everyone understand? There are a few people who are exempt from Guard duty for a number reasons; Sirius, Severus, and Molly."

Everyone nodded their understanding and waited for Dumbledore to continue. Remus looked back at Sirius, who looked thoroughly shocked at actually being given a job for the Order. Remus felt slightly irritated, his job was going to be impossible and worst of all, time consuming. Remus glanced back at Severus and saw that he had still not looked up from the ground.

"I believe that is all. Would all the members of the Advance Guard please stay behind. The next meeting will be on August seventh, the night of Harry Potter's transfer to Headquarters. I move that this meeting be adjourned." Dumbledore stood up and allowed Moody to take his spot.

"I second that motion, meeting adjourned." Moody rolled up the parchment he had been writing on and put it away quickly. All of the other Order members filed out of the kitchen and left the Advance Guard, plus Sirius, Severus and Dumbledore in the kitchen. Moody pulled out a folder and began passing maps and specific instructions to the members of the Advance Guard.

"You're all to memorize your rolls and your positions in the flying formation. Study this map carefully and make sure you know what you're doing. Leave no room for mistakes! Here's a copy of your instructions, Snape." Moody handed Severus a piece of parchment then closed the folder. "You're all dismissed expect for Snape and Lupin. That includes you, Black," Moody said, pointing a gnarled finger at the Animagus.

Sirius huffed a little, but followed the Advance Guard and Moody out of the kitchen, leaving Remus and Severus sitting at the table with Dumbledore.

"The first matter I have to discuss concerns only you, Remus. I never intended for you to try to find out the names of the Unspeakables. I know it is impossible. It was simply a cover-up for your real mission," Dumbledore said, smiling lightly at the werewolf.

Remus was slightly taken aback, but let out a relieved sigh. "I see. So, what am I really doing then?" he asked politely.

Dumbledore glanced at Severus before continuing. "I know your annual visit to the werewolf registry is coming up next week. While there, I'd like you to do me a favor. There has been quite a few reports recently that Voldemort has been trying to rally werewolves for support once more. I would like you to find the Master record of registered werewolves and make a copy. I would like to find out where they are, and who they support before Voldemort gets to them first. Can you do that for me?" Dumbledore asked, his eyebrows raised in question.

Remus nodded slowly. "I can try. How will I get into the records room undetected? There's a lot of tight security down there, sir," Remus said, fully aware of how paranoid the Ministry was about the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures' security.

Dumbledore smiled mischievously. "There is a wizard by the name of Bob Thyllis who works in the records room. I have discussed the plan with him, and he is to transfer the documents to you in the men's restroom across from the office. The documents will be disguised as a newspaper. You will need to use _Specilias Revilio_ in order to see the true document. Once you've done that, use a Gemino charm to copy the document, and shrink it down. Take the real document and place it underneath the rubbish bin in the corner, re-disguised as the newspaper. Place the copied document in a small baggy and put it in the inside pocket of your robes before leaving the Ministry. All of this is to be done in under five minutes time. Can you do that?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus took all of the information in, his mind already coming up with a game plan for the whole thing. He nodded and smiled at Dumbledore. "Yes, I can do it, sir," he said simply. He knew Dumbledore had not only chosen him for the job because he was going to be there anyways, but because he had the fastest spell work in the entire Order and would be able to get it done in less than five minutes.

Dumbledore turned to look at Severus, who was staring intently down at the table. "Severus, you can quit sulking now. I am aware that hearing the other half of the Prophecy was a bit of a shock to you. I have full confidence that it will remain confidential while you're in the presence of the Dark Lord," Dumbledore said, staring at Severus across the table.

Severus finally looked up, blushing slightly. He nodded slowly. "Of course, sir," he said quietly, not looking over at Remus who was glaring at him.

"Remus I am asking you to please not discuss what you figured out tonight with anyone, most especially Sirius. Severus has redeemed himself for his mistakes, and has proved to me that he is trustworthy and very sorry for what happened," Dumbledore explained, his piercing blue eyes boring into Remus' golden-brown eyes.

"How has he proved it, sir? How can you be sure you can trust him?" Remus asked in spite of himself. He felt a slight unease about the whole situation.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and leaned forward, a serious expression on his face. "It is enough that I trust him, Remus. I do not need to explain myself to you. I expect you to deal with this as an adult and-"

"He knows, Dumbledore. You can tell him," Severus said quietly, finally looking over at Remus, his eyes full of sadness.

Dumbledore looked over at Severus, studying him for a few seconds. "Very well, if that is what you want. I promised you that I would tell no one Severus, so you will be the one to tell him," Dumbledore nodded and waited for Severus to react.

Severus pulled out his wand slowly, still looking at Remus. "You remember that lesson in Defense where we learned that a person's Patronus can change to take the shape of the Patronus of someone they've lost who was dear to them, someone they loved?" Severus asked quietly.

Remus raised a confused eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes, of course. Why?" he asked, sounding a bit more snappy than he had intended.

Severus sighed and went on. "And you remember that in fifth year, my Patronus was a snake?" Severus asked calmly.

Remus was starting to get annoyed. "Yes, Severus, I remember," he said shortly. What did this have to do with the fact that Snape was responsible for James and Lily Potter's deaths?

Severus flicked his wand. "_Expecto Patronum!_" The room filled with a blinding white light as the form of a shimmering doe burst forth from Severus' wand and galloped around the room. "So you'd remember that Lily Evans' Patronus was a doe..." Severus said barely above a whisper.

Remus stared at the shimmering doe that was cantering around the small kitchen before it began to dissipate. He slowly turned his gaze back to Severus, who had a single tear sliding down his cheek. Remus simply nodded and turned back to Dumbledore, who had a softened expression on his face.

Dumbledore sighed and looked back at Remus. "So, do you understand my reasoning now? Or at least part of it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

Remus nodded and glanced back at Severus who had wiped the tear away and was staring back down at the table, his face expressionless. "I understand," Remus said softly before standing up. "Can I go now, please?" he asked, not looking back at Severus.

Dumbledore nodded briefly. "You can go now, Remus," he said quietly, looking back towards Severus.

Remus quickly exited the kitchen and nearly ran into Sirius on his way out. "Were you listening the whole time, Sirius?" Remus asked in a worried whisper.

Sirius nodded, a look of mingled sadness and anger on his face. "Is it strange that I sort of feel bad for him? I mean, it is his fault that she's dead in the first place. If he loved her so bloody much, he sure had a shitty way of showing it," Sirius said in a dark whisper as they headed up the stairs together.

Remus stayed quiet all the way up the main staircase and on the landing in front of Sirius' room. "Amor Vos Frater," he muttered. He turned to Sirius as he closed the door behind him. "It wasn't completely his fault, Sirius. He truly had no way of knowing Voldemort was going to kill James and Lily. Sometimes we forget how our actions may affect others. He was only twenty, and he was trying to get on Voldemort's good side," Remus explained quietly.

Sirius looked slightly appalled that Remus was defending Snape. "If he wouldn't have been a git and joined up with the Death Eaters in the first place, Voldemort would have never heard the Prophecy!" Sirius pointed out hotly.

Remus let out an angry noise. "Yeah, and if you wouldn't have changed Secret Keeper to Peter, James and Lily would still be alive!" he snapped. He immediately regretted what he said when all the colour drained from Sirius' face.

Sirius rushed forward and grabbed Remus by the front of his shirt, slamming him against the wall behind him. "How _dare_ you fucking blame it on me! I had no idea Peter was the spy!" Sirius growled, inches from Remus' face.

Remus felt his own anger flare. "Yeah, because you were too busy believing _I_ was the spy," Remus hissed, staring right into Sirius' eyes.

Sirius dropped Remus from him in disgust. He turned to leave the room, but doubled back and punched Remus square in the face, making the back of his head hit the wall from the force. "_Fuck you_, Lupin! I thought you said you trusted me..." Sirius growled before running from the room, leaving Remus to slide down to the ground, blood and tears mingling on his face.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I know, I suck; I left a cliffy for you! Hehehehe It's my evil plan to keep you reading XD. Please review and tell me how much I suck for leaving y'all hanging! I love reviews, and I'm not ashamed to BEG! Please? I'm hoping to have chapter nine up by next week if I'm not too busy. Ciao my lovely readers!


	9. Regulus' Letter & Werewolf Recruiting

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own, I just make them have hot, sweaty sex XD.

**A/N: **Woot chapter nine for your reading pleasure! This may very well be the last update for quite a few days, so savor it! If you haven't been reading my little mini-blog updates on my page, you probably should! There's valuable information! I'm trying to get the picture I drew onto the computer still XD. I WANT FAN ART! Please? Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

**WARNING:** None really. (Le gasp!)

* * *

**Ch 9.  
Regulus' Letter and The Werewolf Recruiting Mission**

Sirius couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the green canopy of Regulus' four-poster bed. Sirius felt very out of place, sleeping in a room full of Slytherin memorabilia. It had taken him about five seconds to figure out that the password for Regulus' room was 'Gryffindor sucks'. He glanced over at the wall and caught a glimpse of a wizarding photo. Sirius got up out of the bed and walked over to the wall, bending over slightly to get a better look at it.

It was a picture of a Slytherin Quidditch team. Sirius could tell this not only by the green uniforms and ugly expressions, but by the younger boy smack dab in the middle of the picture. Sirius hazard a guess that this picture was taken in his fourth year, Regulus' third. He looked exactly like Sirius, only his eyes were more black than gray, and his hair was a little bit shorter. He was smirking that famous cocky, Black family smirk, holding his expensive racing broom and a Snitch. Sirius let out a quiet laugh; Regulus was such a Slytherin, while Sirius was so much a Gryffindor. They were so alike, yet so very different.

Sirius walked over the Regulus' desk and looked down at the strewn parchment and broken quills. It was obvious that no one had touched his belongings since he had disappeared so many long years ago. He examined the books and folders leaning on the little shelf, but not touching anything. His eyes fell onto a piece of parchment with writing on it, and his heart lept. Regulus' handwriting looked very similar to Sirius', except that his letters slanted slightly to the left, while Sirius' slanted slightly to the right. It must have been because he was left-handed, Sirius thought to himself. As he studied the writing, he realized what he was reading was his own name. He nervously reached out a hand and picked up the parchment, which was folded in half with Sirius' name written on the outside. Sirius began to shake slightly and walked back over to the bed to sit down. He slowly unfolded the parchment and began to read:

_'Dear Sirius,  
_

_This letter may not reach you for many years, if it ever reaches you at all. I will come out and say it plain and obvious; I fear I may not be around for much longer.  
_

_As you know, I joined ranks with Voldemort as a Death Eater nearly a year ago now. Let me tell you, that was the biggest mistake I have ever made. Growing up with Pure-blood supremacy and anti-muggle values shoved down my throat, I fell right into the trap Mother and Father had set for both of us, whereas you escaped because you were smart enough to see through the lies. Me? Well, let's just say there's a reason I wasn't put into Ravenclaw.  
_

_I've realized now that you were only trying to keep me from becoming what I am by trying to shy me away from the Slytherin way, and most importantly, our parents' way. I should have listened to you, Sirius, and I'm so very sorry that I didn't.  
_

_I've become quite frightened with the magnitude of the Dark Lord's work and influence. It's almost like being brain-washed. You start to believe anything and everything He says, no matter the affect it may have on those around you. I told one of my fellow Death Eaters that I was withdrawing from ranks and he laughed right in my face. He told me "It's a life time of service or death, boy. There is no 'withdrawing from ranks'. If you back out now, you'll be dead within the week, but it's your own funeral I suppose." I think his name was Fenrir Greyback, that werewolf bloke. That was a month ago.  
_

_Anyways, I've told Voldemort I want nothing to do with him anymore. He just smirked and nodded before two other Death Eaters dragged me out of the building and beat the crap out of me. I know there's something more coming, I can feel it. My end is nearing.  
_

_I know his secret, though. No one is supposed to know but his inner-circle, but I figured it out after overhearing our dear Cousin Bella speaking to her wretched husband. For fear of this being discovered before I die, I will not put what the secret is.  
_

_I wanted you to know that I've never hated you, Sirius. Never. I was blinded by what our parents made me believe, but I never truly hated you. I was so very upset when you left, and I've missed having my big brother here with me. I've become some horrible person now, and I hate myself for it. I've always wanted to be like you Sirius; Open minded and free spirited. I wish I would have looked to you as a role-model instead of our parents.  
_

_Because I do not plan on needing it when I die, I'm leaving my wand to you. I guess you could call this my will. Everything I own is yours now, and don't let mother tell you otherwise. Binding legal contract, a will is, so she can go suck a toad if she doesn't like it. Please, be kind to Kreacher. I know you never liked him, but he practically raised me, and I'm very fond of him.  
_

_I love you Sirius. I always have and always will. You've always been my big brother, and the person I looked up to the most. I'm sorry things had to end this way, and that we never got along while we were at Hogwarts together. I wish I could see you one last time, but I fear I won't ever get the chance. Take care of yourself and your friends. And please, for the love of Merlin, win this bloody war and kill Voldemort off for me, eh? You could call it my going away present. Sorry, that was a bit morbid. Oh well. Farewell Big Brother!  
_

_Love, your Little Brother,  
_

_Regulus Arcturus Black  
_

_P.S. Your password for your room is 'Amor Vos Frater'. It means 'Love You Brother' in Latin. Ciao!'_

Sirius sat staring at the letter for a very long time, no reaction whatsoever. After what may have been hours, he started laughing hysterically. He laughed until his throat was raw, and finally the laughter turned into sobs. For some reason, that was how Sirius had always dealt with traumatic events, explaining why he had been laughing hysterically when they carted him off to Azkaban.

He clutched the letter to his chest, crying harder than he'd cried in a very long time. The wound had been reopened. It was as if his brother had just died, and Sirius was feeling the loss and sorrow for the very first time. He had been crying so hard he didn't noticed the bedroom door open or Remus walk in, looking very tired and miserable.

"Sirius...?" he whispered walking closer to the bed. He was a little freaked out after listening to Sirius laugh for the last hour, then break out into hysterical sobs. He feared for his lover's sanity more than anything else.

Sirius looked up at Remus as he approached, still clutching the letter to his chest. He began to cry harder as he saw the black eye and bruised jaw of his lover. How could he have hurt Remus like that? Even if he had said something horrible, nobody deserved to be treated like that. He stood up and sat the letter carefully down on the bed before turning and rushing forward to wrap his arms around Remus, still crying and sobbing.

"Shh, Sirius. It's alright," Remus whispered, wrapping his arms around the sobbing man. He had no idea why Sirius was crying, but it didn't really matter. As long as Sirius was in despair, so was Remus. He began to cry as well, stroking Sirius' hair lovingly and whispering sweet nothings into Sirius' ear for what felt li ke hours, or maybe even days. Time seemed to have no importance anymore.

Sirius pulled away, his head pounding and his vision clouded from all the crying. His throat was on fire and he needed water, badly. He brushed a hand across Remus' cheek before walking into the bathroom and filling a small glass with water. He drank at least six glasses of water before taking a deep breath and splashing his burning face with the cool water from the tap. After drying his face with a fluffy towel he looked up into the mirror and saw the reflection of Remus leaning against the door frame, watching him. The bruise around his eye was tinted with purple and black, and his jaw was tinged with green and yellow. "Holy hell, Remus. Did I really hit you that hard?" Sirius asked in a hoarse voice as he turned to look at the werewolf.

Remus frowned and nodded, absently rubbing the small bump on the back of his head. "Yes, you broke my nose as well, but I fixed it. I deserve much worse for what I said," he said quietly, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I should never have said those things. I don't think it was your fault at all. You had no way of knowing Peter was the spy, just like Severus had no idea that the Prophecy referred to James' and Lily's son," Remus muttered, still not looking up at Sirius.

Sirius felt instantly guilty. He knew now why Remus had been defending Snape in his actions. They had essentially been hoodwinked the same way, Severus and himself. "I'm sorry, Remus. I never thought about it that way. And I'm also sorry for ever believing you were the spy back then. I was so foolish not to have seen that it was Peter," Sirius said as he walked forward and lifted Remus' face gently by the chin.

Remus shook his head, frowning deeply. "None of us had any idea it was Peter, you can't blame yourself for that. We both need to stop assigning blame to anyone and just accept that Lily and James are dead, and they're not coming back," Remus whispered, lightly running a hand through Sirius silky black hair.

Sirius nodded sadly and gently kissed Remus on the lips. "I know...I love you, Remus," Sirius whispered against Remus' lips as he wrapped his arms around the werewolf.

Remus smiled sadly and sighed as he wrapped his arms around Sirius as well. "I love you too, Sirius. Next time we fight, can we just curse each other instead? Only, you have a pretty nasty right hook," Remus teased with a small chuckle.

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I should never have hit you. Here, let me fix it." Sirius pulled his wand and waved it in a long fluid motion while tracing the shape of the bruises across Remus' jawline, and around his blackened eye while muttering an incantation. The bruises started to fade away and eventually disappeared. He stowed his wand away and kissed Remus softly on the lips. "If I ever hit you again, you have full permission to kick me full force in the balls, ok?" Sirius said with smirk.

Remus laughed as he leaned in and kissed Sirius again. "Oh no, I'd never do that. Where would I get my fun from if I permanently injured my favorite part of your body?" Remus teased, biting Sirius' lip gently, then licking it.

Sirius chuckled and pushed the werewolf up against the wall. He kissed him passionately, sliding his tongue slowly into his lover's mouth and exploring the wet, hot pleasure. He loved the way Remus slide his tongue gently against his as they kissed, losing themselves in the heat and passion. After ten solid minutes of kissing and taking short breaks to breathe, Sirius pulled away as a large yawn escaped his mouth.

"I haven't slept at all. I'm beat," he whispered, blinking his eyes tiredly. He still had Remus pushed up against the bathroom wall in Regulus' room, and only just realized it. "This feels odd, let's go back to my room," Sirius said as he took hold of Remus hand and pulled him out of the bathroom. He grabbed the note off of the bed before exiting the bedroom and crossing the hall to enter his own, muttering the password.

Remus pulled his shirt and pants off, leaving himself clad in nothing but boxers and crawled into his and Sirius' warm bed. He waited for Sirius to do the same, and wrapped his arms lovingly around the Animagus as he crawled in beside Remus and snuggled up to his chest. "Goodnight Padfoot," he whispered with his eyes closed.

Sirius was drifting off to sleep, but stayed conscious long enough to smile and whisper, "'Night Moony," before the blackness took him over.

_"Moony! Moony, wake up!"  
_

_Remus sat up quickly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and looking around for the person who was yelling. He caught sight of James standing at the end of his bed, holding his invisibility cloak as if he had just taken it off.  
_

_"What is it, James? What's wrong?" Remus asked as he rubbed his tired eyes. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday right before the full moon. James had better had a good reason for waking Remus, or someone was going to get hit.  
_

_James smirked and moved forward, grabbing Remus by the arm and pulling him out of bed. "Come on, you have to see this!" James said excitedly as he threw the cloak back over himself and Remus.  
_

_Remus spluttered as James dragged him out of bed and covered him in the cloak. He was being pulled towards the door in nothing but his boxers and an undershirt. "James I'm half naked here! What's going on, what do I need to see?" Remus asked, highly annoyed now. He was usually used to James Potter's erratic behavior, but it being so close to the full moon, his fuse was very short.  
_

_James beamed as he managed to tug Remus out of the fifth year dorms and halfway down the stairs. "You won't need pants, Moony, we're not going in public. Trust me, you'll want to see this." was all James offered as he pushed open the portrait hole and headed towards the end of the corridor.  
_

_Remus sighed and let James drag him along. Whatever it was, he probably _did _want to see. Remus looked around as James stopped in front of a classroom door on the sixth floor. "James, it's way passed curfew. If we get caught out of- "  
_

_"Lay off, Moony, this is worth a million detentions! Plus, you're a prefect remember?" James snorted as he pushed the classroom door open slowly. He pulled Remus inside and tugged the cloak off of both of them, looking around the dark room. "Ok, you guys can come out now!" James announced to the seemingly empty room.  
_

_The sound of softly padding feet and scuttling tiny steps met Remus' ears before he even saw what made the noises. His heightened senses were very sensitive near his time of the month. He turned to look at James, who was beaming, with a raised eyebrow. "You wanted to show me some big ugly dog and a fat rat?" Remus said incredulously. What was James playing at?  
_

_The great black dog bounded over and began to lick Remus' hand, it's tail wagging madly. It gave a short bark and looked up at Remus, it's tongue lolling out stupidly. Remus felt a familiar tingle as he looked into the dog's gray eyes. There was something off about this dog.  
_

_James laughed and shook his head. "Watch this, Rem," James said as he walked over to stand by the dog and the rat. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and concentrated hard. The next moment, he opened his eyes and everything was in black and white.  
_

_Remus gasped as he watched one of his best friends turn into a stag, right in front of his eyes. The stag was huge with honey brown fur and enormous antlers. "No way...No fucking way..." Remus whispered as he turned to look back at the dog; Sirius. It had to be Sirius. Those eyes, and the tingle Remus had felt. He looked down at the rat, who was running circles around the dog squeaking madly; Peter. It's chubby little body and annoying behavior had Peter written all over it.  
_

_The stag bent it's head down for a second before morphing back into the form of James Potter. The dog bounded up on it's hind legs and was replaced by the body of Sirius Black, and the rat swirled around one last time before Peter Pettigrew sprung up from the ground. All three boys had a wide smile and looks of great achievement on their faces.  
_

_Sirius walked forward and lifted Remus' chin to close his gapping mouth, chuckling lightly at his wide-eyed expression. "I told you we'd figure it out, Moony...I keep my promises, " Sirius said quietly, staring into Remus' amber flecked eyes.  
_

_Remus just stared at Sirius for what felt like hours before lunging forward and embracing the Animagus in a tight hug. "Thank you..." Remus whispered as tears leaked from his eyes. When Sirius had proposed the idea of learning to be Animagi so that they could accompany Remus during the full moon, Remus had been very skeptical. Learning something of that magnitude wasn't even heard of, and he doubted that three then-thirteen-year-old boys could perform magic of such enormity. He had been touched by the fact that they had wanted to help, but never expected it to ever actually happen. He could never truly show his gratitude to Sirius, James, and Peter. There just simply weren't enough words.  
_

_James walked over and put an arm around Remus back, hugging him from the side. Peter went to the other side and copied. The four boys stood, group-hugging in silence as Remus quietly cried into Sirius' s houlder. Remus pulled away lightly, breaking up the mass hug and smiling around at his three best friends.  
_

_"I can't believe you guys actually did it..." he whispered, his eyes wide with shock still. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the thought of having his best friends with him the next time he transformed, which was in two days. "You guys have good timing," Remus chuckled.  
_

_Sirius let out a bark like laugh and clapped Remus gently on the back. "We had planned to have it done before this full moon, Moony. That was our goal," Sirius explained, looking around at James and Peter.  
_

_Peter nodded, smiling at the werewolf. "We were so close. It was me who slowed these two down, but I got it Moony! I did it!" Peter exclaimed excitedly. It was obviously the most complicated bit of magic Peter had ever achieved in his entire life.  
_

_"We even came up with nicknames, to match yours," James said with a smirk. "I'm Prongs," James said, lifting his hands up to grab invisible antler as an explanation.  
_

_"I'm Padfoot," Sirius said, pointing at his palm to indicate where the pads of a dog's paw would be.  
_

_"And I'm Wormtail, " Peter said, wiggling his butt to show where his worm-tail would be as a rat. _

_Remus looked around at his three friends and began to laugh. The names were perfect! He couldn't stop laughing as he imagined their animal forms in his mind's eye. "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Remus recited, smiling widely at the three Animagi.  
_

_The three other boys joined in on the laughing, each clutching onto each other for support. This was one of the best nights of their lives, and one of the most life changing events. None of them could have possibly known the magnitude of what they had accomplished, being fifteen-year-old wizards. And so the Marauders were complete, forming an everlasting bond that would, sadly, not last forever..._

"...Moony? Remus, can you hear me?" Sirius asked as he waved a hand slowly in front of Remus' face, trying to bring the werewolf back from la-la land.

Remus snapped out of it blinked a few times, clearing his throat. "Sorry, what did you say?" he asked Sirius with a confused look.

Sirius was looking at Remus with a raised eyebrow and a slightly worried expression. "I asked if you wanted me to go with you for the full moon tomorrow night," Sirius said, still studying Remus closely. He had been zoned out for awhile, just staring at the wall as Sirius leaned against his chest, reading a book about the Department of Mysteries.

"Oh, right. Well, Um...I actually have a mission tomorrow night, sorry," Remus said with an apologetic smile. This particular mission was the reason Remus had been thinking about the very first time he had seen his three best friends turn into Animagi.

Sirius closed his book with a snap, turning to look at Remus with a bemused expression. "What? Why would Dumbledore give you a mission on the night of a full moon? You're not going on this mission as a werewolf, are you?" Sirius asked, his tone worried now as he tried to read his lover's expression. Was Dumbledore mad? Remus couldn't go on some mission alone as a werewolf! What if somebody hurt him, or he hurt somebody?

Oops, Remus wasn't supposed to tell anyone about this particular mission. "Yes, Sirius. I have a mission as a werewolf. Look, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, so don't say anything, ok?" Remus said, frowning slightly.

Sirius shook his head. "Of course I won't say anything. But...What is this mission? Why do you have to go as a werewolf, Moony? Tell me, please. You know I won't tell anyone," Sirius pleaded with his classic puppy dog eyes.

Remus smiled and sighed. He couldn't resist that bloody adorable look. "Alright, I'll tell you. You remember that mission I told you about before? The one where I had to get the Master record out of the Werewolf Registry? Well Dumbledore has tracked down all the names on the registry, and he's discovered a clan of werewolves here in London that are known to have declined Voldemort's offers and refused to support him," Remus explained. He wasn't all too excited about this particular mission.

Sirius nodded as he took in the information. He bit his lip in thought for a few seconds before looking back at Remus. "So...Dumbledore wants you to try to recruit this clan in London for the Order? I thought it was Voldemort's job to built an army of dark creatures, no offense," Sirius said with a smirk.

Remus chuckled lightly. "It's not recruiting, really. I'm supposed to relay a message from Dumbledore, and ask for their support of the Order. I don't think he actually wants them to fight, he just wants their support. It's to make sure they don't change their minds and join ranks with Voldemort. If they know Dumbledore and the Order support them, they won't go looking for Voldemort's support. I don't completely understand Dumbledore's motive, but I'm ready made for the job, so I have to do it," Remus said, a little bit of bitterness in his voice.

Sirius sighed. He could tell that Remus was reluctant to go on this mission, and he couldn't blame him. "But what if they don't trust you, or they don't like Dumbledore's offer? They could seriously hurt you, if not kill you!" Sirius said, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth once more.

Remus sighed and frowned. He gently ran a hand through Sirius onyx hair, loving the feeling of the silky locks between his fingers. "It's the risk of being in the Order, Sirius. No one is ever really safe on these missions. It's a risk I'm willing to take if it will keep Voldemort from gaining the support of my kind," Remus said softly. That was what Dumbledore had told him when he explained the mission to Remus, anyways.

Sirius frowned before leaning in and kissing Remus lightly on the lips. "Yes, but the other Order members don't have to mingle with potentially dangerous werewolves on their missions. He's using your condition as a luxury, Remus," Sirius said sadly as he cupped Remus' cheek in his hand.

"At least something good will finally come from the curse then. It's time I played my part, Sirius. I am unique in that I am a wizard, while most other werewolves are denied a wand, or an education. It's come time that I put this curse to use," Remus explained, smiling lightly at his lover. It was all very true. It was very rare that werewolves were ever given the chance to be wizards, making them even more bitter towards the wizarding world.

Sirius sighed and nodded gently. "I understand. I still don't like it, though. How long will you been gone?" Sirius asked as he traced the long scar traveling from Remus' cheek to the corner of his mouth.

Remus smiled as he felt the tingling erupt in the scar Sirius was touching. "Hopefully only tomorrow night. I should be back by the next morning."

Sirius frowned. Remus didn't sound too confident in that information. "'Hopefully'? 'Should be'? Remus Lupin, you better be back by the next morning or I'm going looking for you, the ten-thousand Galleon price on my head be damned," Sirius said with a stern expression. He couldn't bear to think of Remus not coming home after his mission.

Remus shook his head, raising an eyebrow at the Animagus. "Oh no, you will stay in this house, Sirius! Just because I don't return the next morning, doesn't mean I've gone missing. Dumbledore will decide what to do if I do not return in the time frame he expects. Promise me you'll stay here, Sirius. I don't want them throwing you back in Azkaban because your stupid arse came looking for me," Remus said, leaving no room to argue the situation any further.

Sirius sighed and nodded slowly and a little bit reluctantly. "Fine...I promise. But if you come back late, or make the other Order members go looking for you, I'm kicking your arse when you get back," Sirius said with a slight scowl. He'd never do anything of the sort, but he felt a bit better threatening his lover into coming home on time. "Promise me you'll come back on time, and you won't get yourself hurt."

Remus laughed and bent forward to kiss Sirius gently, yet passionately. "I promise, I'll come home on time and not get hurt, " Remus whispered, though he had no idea if he would be able to keep that promise.

* * *

**A/N: **Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to update as soon as I can. Make sure you check my profile for updates because I sometimes update the mini-blog even if I don't update the story. I still want fan art! Please review and let me know how you think everything is so far! Love ya guys!


	10. You Are Mine and I Am Yours

**DISCLAIMER: **Nope, I still don't own them! If I did, Tonks wouldn't have been an issue..._ever._

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Well this update came a bit sooner than I thought it would, due to my beta being unable to edit for me because her computer got attacked by a nasty virus. Ouch! So, I edited as much as I could myself, but there's probably some mistakes I didn't catch. Sorry about that! Chapter eleven will definitely be beta'd one way or the other.

I want to thank all my readers who checked out my one-shot. It means a lot to me that you guys are loyal to not only this story, but anything else I write. Don't worry, I'm still writing _Lying Low_, the one-shots aren't stealing my writing time.

There is still the poll up about where I should end _Lying Low_! I know you haven't all voted yet, so please do! It's getting down to the wire now, and I need to decide soon where it's going to end.

One more thing: Fan art! I haven't received any yet, but I did do a drawing of my own. There's a link on my profile under the _Lying Low_ updates section. I'm also working on another one, but there's no telling when I'll have it up. Please make me fan art! I would be very grateful! Enjoy this chapter, it could be awhile before the next, and I acutally mean it this time lol.

**WARNING:** Nothing too bad this chapter. Just some kissing and such. I promise some lovely smut in the next chapter!

* * *

**Ch 10.  
****You Are Mine and I Am Yours  
**

"Molly! We need some bandages, Essence of Dittany, and any other kind of first aid you have!" Tonks yelled as she hovered the bloody and battered body of Remus Lupin onto the kitchen table, which had been quickly cleared of any dish.

"Black! Get out of the way! We can't work on him with you hovering over us," Severus snapped as he pulled out his wand and began muttering a spell. He waved his wand in a circular motion over a large gash on Remus' cheek. The gash stopped bleeding, but the wound was still there.

Molly ran from the kitchen to fetch the needed supplies, her face pale and terrified at the horrible state Remus was in. He didn't look very good. She ushered her kids and Hermione away from the kitchen. "Do not go in there and get in their way!" she called from the staircase. The portrait of Sirius' mother was screaming and shrieking her head off, but no on was bothering to cover her up.

Sirius was standing with his back pressed against the wall looking on with wide, horrified eyes. He was muttering all the while, watching as Snape tore Remus' shirt in the front, exposing long and deep claw marks. "He promised...he promised me..."

Molly ran back into the kitchen, her arms laden with bandages and bottles of potion. "Here you are, this is everything I could find. That green one is the Dittany. There's also some blood replenishing potion there in the blue bottle." Molly said as she sat everything in her arms down on the counter behind Tonks.

Tonks turned to the counter and quickly grabbed the Dittany. She poured some of the potion, which had a thick consistency, onto a cloth and began to dab at all of the scratches and gashes running across Remus' chest, arms, and face. There was a slight smell of burning flesh, and little puffs of smoke as the gashes and cuts healed over partially. "Pass me the blood replenishing potion," Tonks said to Sirius as she continued to dab at the werewolf's wounds.

Sirius quickly obeyed, grabbing the potion and holding it out to Tonks. His breathing was very shallow and it was taking all of his will power not to break down and cry. He knew that this was going to happen. As soon as Remus had told him about the mission, he had felt a twinge of unease.

"We're going to need to remove his pants, I think his leg is broken," Severus said as he gently felt Remus' oddly turned leg. It was definitely broken. Severus glanced over at Sirius, who was staring at Remus in horror. "Black, help me remove his pants. Try not to move his leg, or it might break further," Severus said with a frown. He knew that if any would be comfortable removing Remus' pants, it would be Sirius.

Sirius blushed lightly as he walked forward and undid the button and zipper on Remus' pants. "Lift him up," he instructed Severus as he began to slowly pull off the sliced up and dirty material. He gently pulled the pants all the way off of the werewolf as Severus helped lift Remus off of the table.

Severus moved forward and inspected the angle of Remus' broken leg. It looked very painful indeed, but Remus was unconscious and very pale. "Tonks, give him more blood replenisher, he's still much too pale," Severus said as he waved his wand over Remus' leg. He muttered a spell and watched as the tip of his wand glowed blue for a few seconds. He watched as Remus leg straightened out and gently repositioned the limb. The bone was healed.

Tonks poured the rest of the blood replenishing potion into Remus' mouth as she dabbed the last of the cuts and scratches covering his chest. "I'm afraid that's all we can do. These were definitely werewolf inflicted; they're cursed wounds," Tonks said quietly as she placed a bandage over a larger wound across the werewolf's abdomen.

There was a groan and a whimper as Remus began to regain consciousness. Every muscle in his body ached, and it felt like his arm and legs were on fire. The last thing he could remember was the Head werewolf of the London clan refusing Dumbledore's offer and claiming that neither side deserved the support of the werewolves.

Sirius quickly walked over and bent down beside Remus, brushing his golden and gray hair out of his eyes. "Remus! You're alright. Snape and Tonks found you in the underground station early this morning. They don't think anyone else saw you," Sirius explained quietly, looking into the amber-gold of Remus' eyes.

Remus blinked slowly, swallowing the painful lump in his throat. He opened his mouth the speak, but his voice seemed to not want to work. He cleared his throat with a grimace of pain. "I'm sorry, Sirius...I broke my promise," he whispered to his lover.

Sirius let out a shaky laugh and shook his head. "You prat, Remus. You don't need to be sorry," Sirius whispered back, fully aware that Snape and Tonks were watching them closely.

Severus looked curiously on at the displays of affection and gentle joking between the werewolf and the Animagus. The men were clearly head over heels for each other. "Take him and put him in bed, Black. He'll need to sleep this off just like any other transformation," Severus said quietly as he stowed his wand away and moved to wash the blood from his hands in the kitchen sink.

Sirius looked up at Severus as he washed his hands and dried them quickly. "Thank you, Severus..." he said quietly. He turned to Tonks who was looking slightly crestfallen and was frowning down at Remus. "And you, Dora," Sirius said as he conjured a stretcher and hovered Remus onto it.

Severus simply nodded and glanced over at Remus before leaving the kitchen with a swish of his black cloak. Tonks smiled up at Sirius. "No problem, Sirius," she said quietly before leaving the kitchen herself.

Sirius followed Tonks out of the kitchen and headed up the stairs and into the hall. He pointed his wand at the portrait of his mother and blasted the curtain closed on her before hovering Remus up the main staircase and into their bedroom. He had just moved Remus onto the bed and pulled the covers over him when he heard a knock on the door and Dumbledore walked in.

"Sirius, I need to speak with Remus. Alone, please," Dumbledore said softly as he held open the door for Sirius.

Sirius stared at the old man for a few seconds as if he were joking. "Albus, the man is in pain and needs rest! Surely you can question him later when he's better?" Sirius said in an angry whisper before glancing back at Remus, who had fallen asleep already.

Dumbledore shook his head gravely. "I need to discuss things with him now before there is a chance of him losing the information. It won't take that long, I assure you," Dumbledore said, leaving no room for argument.

Sirius let out a frustrated growl and walked out of the room, glaring slightly at Dumbledore as he went. The door closed behind him and he turned to kick the wall opposite his bedroom door. "Damn it!" he muttered, ignoring the pain in his toe.

"He sleeps in your room with you," Tonks said quietly from the landing, leaning against the banister of the stairs.

Sirius turned quickly as Tonks spoke, highly irritated and a bit jumpy. "Yes, he does. None of the other rooms were really fit to live in, so we share," Sirius said with a shrug. What did it matter to her if Remus slept in his room?

Tonks nodded slowly. "I guess all the Weasley's took the suitable rooms. Do you share a bed, too?" she asked, not quite looking up at Sirius. She didn't want to show the sadness in her eyes.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "I'm sorry, but I don't see how any of this is your business," Sirius snapped indignantly. Remus had been right, Tonks did fancy him.

Tonks looked up with a sad, yet knowing smile on her face. "I should of seen it coming. I knew you two were awfully close, I just didn't realize _how_ close," she whispered before turning to leave. She looked back after descending a few steps. "Don't worry, I'll keep your guys' secret," she said quietly before heading down the rest of the stairs and out of the house.

Sirius stood staring at the staircase after Tonks. It wasn't any of her business if Remus was his lover, who the hell was she to judge them? Sirius knew she had been upset because she had been smitten with Remus, but that didn't give her the right to feel hurt; or so Sirius thought. At least now she would leave Remus alone and flirt with someone else for a change.

"We sometimes forget how matters of the heart are usually quite obvious to others. Nymphadora was only pointing out what she saw, simply because you had been so upset you blatantly showed too much emotion." Dumbledore had come out of the room so quietly that Sirius had not heard.

Sirius jumped at the sound of Dumbledore's voice behind him. Why was everyone so intent on sneaking up on him? "Bloody Hell! Would you people quit sneaking up on me already?" Sirius said with a frown. He sighed as he shook his head. "What if I didn't care if it was obvious, Albus? What right does anyone have to judge us?" Sirius said quietly, looking up at the older wizard.

Dumbledore smiled lightly and fixed Sirius with his piercing stare. "No one has the right to judge you, Sirius, but they do have a right to their own opinions," Dumbledore said with a short nod. "Remus is asleep again, though he did ask for you right before he lost consciousness," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Sirius nodded and returned the smile a little reluctantly. "Thank you, Albus." He walked forward and muttered the password to his door, but stopped as he turned the handle and looked back at Dumbledore, who was watching him.

"People do have a right to their opinions, but I have a right to my preferences in lovers. I love Remus, and no amount of prejudice will ever change that." Sirius smiled before walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

RSRSRSRS

_"No way! Are you serious? Wait- don't answer that, or I'll hex." James was laying on his stomach across Sirius' bed. It was the morning after the full moon, and thankfully a Saturday. He and Sirius had been chatting, while Peter was snoring away. Remus was, of course, in the hospital wing.  
_

_Sirius laughed as he smacked James over the head with his pillow. "Yes, I'm serious, and I don't mean my name. He kissed me James, and I liked it. I don't care if that makes me gay or bi or whatever it makes me, I just want to kiss him again," Sirius explained, a slightly glassy look coming into his eyes as he studied the wall opposite his four-poster.  
_

_James sat up slowly, sitting with his legs crossed and clutching the pillow Sirius had hit him with. "Woah, Padfoot. I've never heard you say anything like that about anyone. You really do like him a lot, don't you?" James asked with a genuine smile. So what if his two best friends were gay, with each other? It wasn't James' place to judge. Besides, James had always felt like Sirius and Remus were destined to be more than friends. They were just so _perfect_ together.  
_

_Sirius nodded and smiled back at James, blushing lightly. "I do. At first I had just passed it off as a kiss, just some random act. But then I started realizing how much time Moony and I spend together, and how well we get along. I thought about how I love the smell of his freshly washed hair, and how I instantly feel happy when I hear his laugh," Sirius paused as a look of realization crossed his face. "Oh God, Prongs...I think I'm in love with Moony," Sirius whispered.  
_

_James laughed quietly and patted Sirius gently on the knee. "You know Padfoot, I think you are too. That sounds very similar to how I feel about Lily. And I want you to know that I fully support you and Remus. You're still my best mates, even if you do fancy each other."  
_

_Sirius grinned and let out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks Prongs. I knew there was a reason I kept you around," Sirius joked as he started a pillow fight with his best mate.  
_

_Meanwhile...  
_

_"So he just kissed the scars, no warning or preamble?" Lily asked quietly as she bent closer to Remus, who was lying in a hospital bed and smiling.  
_

_Remus nodded slowly, his muscles still a bit sore. "I felt this tingle as soon as his lips touched my skin, Lils. It was so strong and I wanted to feel it again, so I kissed him on the lips." Remus blushed a deep crimson, biting his lip in embarrassment.  
_

_Lily let out a shrill squeal of delight, smiling widely at the werewolf. "Aw! Remus, that is the cutest thing I've ever heard! Did he kiss you back? And how long ago was this?" Lily asked, a little too over-excited.  
_

_"Miss Evans, I must ask you to please keep your voice down or you'll have to leave," Madam Pomfrey said as she peaked in on Lily and Remus. Lily blushed and nodded with a muttered apology.  
_

_Remus chuckled as Madam Pomfrey moved away. "This was two weeks ago. Yes, he did kiss me back, very passionately may I add. He wanted it too Lily, I could feel it. I asked him to sleep beside me that night and he did, no questions, no awkwardness. It just felt so...so _right_," Remus whispered, his eyes closed for a second as he felt the ghost of the tingle on his lips once more.  
_

_Lily sighed in an annoying, frilly way and beamed at Remus. "Did you tell him? And why did you wait two weeks to tell me this?" Lily asked in an exasperated whisper. It was so like Remus to keep important information like this to himself.  
_

_You see, Remus had confided in Lily the previous year that he was starting to have feelings for Sirius after Lily had admitted that she knew Remus was a werewolf. He had asked her advice, told her every little emotion that he had ever felt for the raven-haired boy, and his diagnosis was this; he was madly in love with Sirius Black.  
_

_"Well I wanted to wait and see what happened afterwards before making it into some big affair. If you meant have I told him that I'm in love with him; no, I haven't. I'm still not absolutely sure he feels the same way," Remus cleared his throat lightly, "He kissed me again last night, just before I went for my transformation. He pulled me aside after I ate an early dinner and led me down the charms corridor. He pulled me into a hug and then kissed me, but this time it wasn't timid or surprised. It was just..."  
_

_Lily smirked. "'_Right'_? Remus, you have to tell him! It's obvious that he has some sort of feelings for you too, or else he wouldn't be pulling you away to snog you outside of the charms classroom. If it feels right, then it must be right," Lily sighed, " I wish I had something like that..." she whispered with a slight frown.  
_

_Remus scowled slightly and scoffed. "Well you might have if you'd stop pushing James away and give him a sodding chance. He's not a bad guy Lily, I promise." Remus had been trying to get Lily to give James the time of day for over a year now. The fiery red-head and refused point blank every time.  
_

_Lily blushed slightly. "I know, Rem. But it's hard to believe he's not a bad guy when I see him hexing people for no good reason at all," Lily pointed out, trying to keep the reluctance out of her voice.  
_

_Remus raised an eyebrow with a knowing smirk. "Is that some hesitancy I detect? You know he only hexes Slytherins and people who thoroughly deserve it; by my standards not his. He's been trying to change Lily. Haven't you noticed that he's only been given four detentions this year? By this time last year, he already had thirty-plus under his belt!" Remus laughed a little in spite of it. James had improved a lot over this last year, and Remus knew it was because he wanted Lily's heart more than ever.  
_

_Lily smiled shyly, nodding slowly. "Yes, I did notice. I gave him two of the four, mind you. I'm not promising that I'm going to become his best friend and fall madly in love with him like he wants me to, but...I guess I'll start giving him more of a chance. The more he improves, the better his chances are," Lily smirked, feeling the little butterflies in her stomach that had started to develop flap around excitedly.  
_

_Remus nodded and smiled. "So it's settled then; I'll tell Sirius I'm in love with him, and you'll start to give James a chance," Remus said, as if they were making some sort of bet or deal.  
_

_The curtain around Lily and Remus opened slowly and the smiling and love-struck form of Sirius Black appeared, staring at Remus adoringly. "Really Moony, you mean that?" he asked quietly, walking over to stand beside Remus' bed.  
_

_Lily quickly shot up out of her seat, blushing a deep red and waving at Remus lazily before heading out of the infirmary at record speed.  
_

_Remus flushed even more, biting his lip in thought. He had not meant for Sirius to hear what he said. He had planned to be at least a little bit more discreet and subtle about telling Sirius that he was in love with him. "Er...Yeah, Padfoot. I mean it," Remus whispered, staring into Sirius' stormy grey eyes.  
_

_Sirius beamed, his heart swelling. He had never felt so happy before in his entire life. "I think I'm in love with you too, Moony." Sirius leaned down slowly and placed a gentle and warm kiss on Remus' lips.  
_

_Remus kissed Sirius back, pushing himself up to meet Sirius' lips more firmly as the tingle spread throughout his body. He had never imagined that Sirius would actually be kissing him after confessing his love. Remus felt the tingle intensify, washing over him and making his heart beat faster and faster.  
_

_Sirius pulled away reluctantly to catch his breath, still smiling at the werewolf. "So does this mean we're together now?" Sirius asked excitedly. He couldn't wait to feel Remus in his arms again. He hoped he wasn't rushing into all of it too soon, he didn't want to pressure Remus. Little did he know that Remus didn't need pressuring of any sort to want to be with Sirius.  
_

_Remus smiled and nodded softly. "Yes, if that's what you want. But...Can we please keep it to ourselves and our friends, just for a little while at least?" Remus asked nervously. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to be openly gay for all of Hogwarts to see, not yet at least.  
_

_Sirius frowned slightly but shrugged and nodded. "Ok, if you insist. Whatever you want, it's yours. You're mine now, Moony. You are mine and I am yours," Sirius said with a soft chuckle and another quick kiss. He loved the way that sounded; Remus was his boyfriend.  
_

_Remus kissed Sirius back, running a hand through his boyfriend's silken locks. "I couldn't have said it better myself," was all Remus offered as he leaned up and kissed Sirius again, savoring the earth-shattering tingle rushing through his veins. If this was what loving Sirius Black felt like, he never wanted it to stop.  
_

RSRSRSRS

"Hey Mister Sleepy-Head. How're you feeling?" Sirius was laying on the bed beside Remus, looking down on him from above as he propped himself up on his elbow.

Remus was still blinking the sleep out of his eyes, but could make out the blurry shape of Sirius. "Like I need a really long shower and a giant steak dinner. How long have I been out?" Remus asked in a hoarse voice. He was highly uncomfortable; he really did need a shower and was starving.

Sirius chuckled as he ran a hand through the werewolf's soft hair. "Three days. I was starting to go insane with worry. Come on, I'll help you shower, then we'll go down and get you something to eat." Sirius crawled out of the bed and held out a hand to help Remus up off of the bed. He had been struggling all day, torn between waiting until Remus woke up and rushing him off to St. Mungo's.

Remus took hold of Sirius' hand and pulled himself up, wobbling a little on his feet. He could feel a few bandages crinkle and his muscles were still sore. "Sounds good to me. Anything exciting happen while I was out?" Remus asked as he and Sirius made their way into the bathroom.

Sirius let go of Remus so that he could undress and shrugged. "I don't know if you'd call it exciting, but Tonks found out about us," Sirius said as he removed his boxers and walked over to turn the shower on. He knew Remus was going to be upset, but tried to pass it off as nothing.

Remus dropped the bar of soap he had been holding with a loud _thunk_. "She _what_? How? Did you tell her, Sirius?" Remus asked, his face a little more pale than usual. He had to work with Tonks, he was never going to be able to look her in the eyes again.

Sirius stood up straight and frowned. He didn't know why Remus was hell bent on people not knowing. It wasn't any body's business but theirs. "No, of course I didn't tell her. She followed me up the stairs when I brought you up to put you in bed. I didn't even know she was there. Dumbledore came up to talk to you and kicked me out of the room, and that's when I saw her standing on the stairs, looking like Christmas had been canceled. She was being nosy, but the words never came out of my mouth. I think her words were, 'I knew you guys were close, but I didn't realize _how_ close.' and she walked off after telling me she'd keep our secret. What was I supposed to do, deny it? Because I would never deny it if asked directly, you now that Remus. I'm not ashamed to say I'm in love with another man," Sirius explained, obviously upset over Remus' reaction.

Remus shook his head as he walked forward and wrapped his arms lightly around Sirius' waist. "I'm not ashamed, Sirius. I could never be ashamed of loving you. I just don't want it spreading around that I'm gay. To the Ministry, the only thing worse than being a werewolf is being a gay werewolf. They already watch me like a hawk, I don't want to give them anymore excuse to keep tabs on me. I wouldn't have expected you to deny it. Oh well, she'll just have to get over it," Remus said with a smirk. He leaned in and kissed Sirius gently. "I love you, Sirius."

Sirius kissed Remus back as he wrapped his arms around his lover. "I love you too, Remus. Now get in the shower, you stink," Sirius joked as he stepped into the shower himself, pulling Remus in by the hand.

Remus laughed as he was pulled into the warm shower, savoring the feel of the hot water against his skin. He leaned in and kissed Sirius again, exploring his mouth with his tongue and feeling the curve of his arm muscles. Remus wasn't ashamed to be with Sirius, he was thankful to have found someone who accepted him.

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's not my favourite, but it's still a chapter. Please review to let me know where I should end this, and to let me know you want to read the smut I promised in the next chapter! WOOT, you know you wanna review now!


	11. Harry Demented

**Disclaimer:** I don't own!

**A/N:** Well this chapter isn't beta'd simply because I don't have time to wait for it to be beta'd. If you want updates, you'll have to deal with a few mistakes, lol.

Anyways, I'm extremely busy because of that damn thing called being an adult and responsibilities, and I still only get to use this computer in scarce amounts of time. If all else fails, I WILL start handwriting my story and typing it later, because my writing is catching up to the updates. Sorry for the long wait, and the long wait that is sure to come fore chapter twelve. I hope you guys enjoy it anyways!

P.S. Sorry for not responding to reviews, I just don't have time. I will eventually, I promise!

**WARNING: SMUT!!  
**

* * *

**Ch 11.  
Harry Demented**

It was a lovely Friday evening, the stars twinkling brightly above as a few clouds drifted across the third quarter moon. Sirius was staring out his bedroom window, wishing more than anything he could be outside, enjoying the warm summer night. Being cooped up in the house was really starting to drive him nuts. The only thing keeping him sane was having Remus with him, but that wasn't always the case. Remus went on a lot of missions, staying away from the house for hours and sometimes even days at a time.

Dinner had just ended, though Sirius hadn't gone down to eat. He was waiting for Remus to come home from a mission, feeling worried as usual. His lover had been gone for two days and he had not heard a single word from him, as they were banned from communicating while on Order missions.

Just then, the bedroom door opened and in walked the very tired looking werewolf. Remus saw Sirius looking out the window, the room in complete darkness other than the bright moonlight. He walked over and slipped his arms around Sirius waist, pulling him close to him from behind. "Molly told me you've been skiving off meals, Padfoot," he whispered into Sirius' ear.

Sirius smiled lightly to himself as he leaned back into Remus' strong embrace, loving the feeling of security. "I wasn't hungry," he whispered back, not turning to look into his lover's eyes.

Remus turned Sirius slowly to face him, a concerned look on his face. "You weren't hungry for two days, Sirius? Molly said she even sent Kreacher up here with food to make sure you weren't starving to death. You didn't eat it, did you?" Remus frowned, knowing full well Sirius had not eaten anything Kreacher had brought him.

Sirius frowned at Remus and shook his head. "No, I made him get rid of it without Molly knowing. I was just so worried about you, I couldn't eat. My stomach was squirming too much," Sirius admitted. He hadn't realized he had not been eating for so long. He was so used to not eating for days on end, it barely even phased him.

Remus shook his head, pulling his lover in for a deep kiss. "You can't do that, Sirius. The more you worry about me when I'm gone, the more I'm going to be worried about you when I'm away. I need you to promise you'll take care of yourself when I'm not here. That includes eating, everyday," Remus said firmly, looking straight into Sirius' gray, glassy eyes.

Sirius sighed and nodded, smiling lightly at Remus. "Ok, I promise. I missed you, Moony," Sirius whispered, wrapping his arms lightly around the werewolf.

Remus smirked and pulled Sirius close, pressing his lips firmly against his lover's. "I missed you too, Padfoot," Remus whispered back before leaning in and kissing Sirius again.

Sirius turned and began walking over to the bed, dragging Remus along with him, who was still leaning in and leaving soft kisses on his lips. He crawled onto the bed, pulling Remus on top of him and savoring the werewolf's comforting weight.

Remus bent down and began trailing kissed down Sirius' jaw line, neck, and collar bone. He unbuttoned Sirius' shirt, pulling the fabric away and continuing his trail of kisses down the Animagus' chest and stomach.

Sirius let a small moan escape his lips as his body began to heat up instantly with each kiss. He laced a hand into Remus' silky golden-brown locks and bit his lip in pleasure. He felt Remus unbutton and unzip his trousers, tugging them down slowly. He lifted his hips off of the bed and allowed Remus to pull his pants then boxers off, throwing them aside onto the floor.

Remus stroked the hot flesh of Sirius' ever-growing erection, licking his lips in anticipation. He looked up to see Sirius smiling lovingly down at him. With a quick smile, Remus bent back down and took the length of Sirius' into his mouth, loving the taste of his lover's flesh against his tongue.

Sirius gasped and lifted his hips a little as Remus took him into his mouth. He leaned his head back in bliss, his hand still woven into Remus' hair and pushing his head down gently. His breathing was beginning to quicken as Remus picked up the pace.

Remus wrapped his lips around his lollipop, licking and sucking with abandon. He flicked his tongue all along Sirius' shaft, loving the quiet whimpers and slight jerks that were Sirius' reactions. He moved a hand down between himself and Sirius and found his lover's warm and tight entrance with his finger. With a teasing circular motion around the puckered hole, he slowly began to push his finger into Sirius.

Sirius gasped and bucked his hips as Remus found his entrance with his finger. He relaxed a little as Remus pushed slowly into him. He bit his lip against the slight discomfort he felt at first, but let out a moan as the pleasure replaced it. He pushed himself down further on Remus' finger, in double ecstasy with Remus hot mouth on his cock and his finger buried in his tight entrance.

Remus thrusted his finger in and out of his lover a bit faster, then added another one, still working diligently on the flesh in his mouth. He could feel Sirius' climax building, and his own erection pulsed at the thought of Sirius cuming in his mouth. He worked even faster at both of his jobs, determined to get Sirius off and taste his lover's warm seed.

Sirius was panting as he thrust himself in and out of Remus' mouth while pushing himself down onto Remus' fingers, his orgasm creeping up faster and faster. With a strangled moan and a shudder, he came quickly into Remus' mouth, his body going rigid in waves of ecstasy.

Remus swallowed every drop and gave Sirius' shrinking erection one last lick before pulling away and removing his fingers from his lover's tight hole. He used his wand to clean up any stray liquids and moved slowly up to lay beside Sirius on the bed, smirking happily.

Sirius' breathing was starting to even out as he rolled over, looking into Remus' golden-amber eyes. "Dear God, Moony. We have to start doing this more often," he said with a satisfied grin and a quick kiss. He could taste the lingering flavour of himself on Remus' lips.

Remus chuckled softly, kissing Sirius deeply and meaningfully. "Agreed." He pulled Sirius on top of him, removing the open shirt from his lover's back as he did so. He pulled off his own shirt, and slipped out of his pants and boxers before pulling Sirius down on him and kissing him. "Make love to me, Sirius," he whispered huskily against Sirius' soft lips.

Sirius ran a hand across Remus' firm and scar covered chest. He kissed the werewolf back, letting his mouth explore the warm wetness. "I'd love to," Sirius whispered back as he pulled away and began kissing his way down Remus' jaw line and neck. He moved down and took Remus' into his mouth, sucking and licking for a few minutes and savoring the sounds of Remus' moans. He pulled away and moved to position himself between Remus' legs, wrapping them around his waist. He was hard again, surprisingly. Only Remus could inspire such great resiliency in a thirty-five-year-old man. He used his wand to lube himself up before pressing himself gently into Remus' entrance, taking it as slow as he could.

Remus gasped and let the pain take him over for a few seconds before a burst of pure pleasure hit him full force. "Don't stop, Sirius. Keep going," he instructed his lover as he placed his hands on Sirius' hips.

Sirius did as he was told and pushed himself further into the werewolf, a bit firmer and faster this time. He was starting to feel his climax rise as he heard Remus moan and whimper in pleasure, filling his lover to the hilt. He took Remus' panting silence as the cue to keep going and began pumping in and out of the hot, tight hole, slowly at first then speeding up.

Remus pushed his hips up to meet every one of Sirius' thrusts, digging his nails into Sirius' hips in pure bliss as the Animagus drove himself in and out of his entrance. He loved the feeling of Sirius inside him, and encouraged his lover to speed up with the pitch of his moans and the quickness of his breath.

Sirius was now pounding Remus as hard as he could into the mattress, his orgasm near the breaking point as he firmly grasped the werewolf's cock and began stroking it in time with his thrusts.

"Oh God!" Remus cried as he pushed himself up to meet Sirius strokes and loving every moment of the pounding he was getting. He whimpered as his climax went from zero to sixty in only seconds. "I'm cuming!" he exclaimed as he shot his load all over Sirius' stomach and fist, still pushing himself onto Sirius' cock.

Sirius' gave a grunt and a groan and with one last hard thrust, he released his seed into the depths of Remus' bowels, his body going rigid and shaking violently from his second orgasm of the night. He collapsed onto Remus chest, feeling the sticky warmth of Remus' orgasm spreading between them.

Remus lay still for a long time, savoring the after-shock of his powerful orgasm washing over him. As the waves became less intense and less frequent, he grabbed his wand and cleaned up the mess between himself and Sirius and the mess below him on the bed where fluids had leaked out. He wrapped his arms lightly around his lover, breathing deeply and slowly. "I love you, Sirius," he whispered as he placed a kiss on Sirius' silken black head.

Sirius smiled, his eyes closed and his breathing becoming deeper and deeper. "I love you too, Remus," he whispered back, kissing the werewolf's chest lazily as he began to drift off to sleep.

RSRSRSRS

Remus and Sirius had only been asleep fifteen minutes before there was a frantic knocking on the bedroom door. Remus jumped up quickly as Sirius slid off of him and onto the bed, looking around in a confused daze. "Whas'goin' on?" he muttered, looking over at Remus who was pulling his pants on over his boxers and zipping them up quickly.

"No idea. Cover yourself up," Remus instructed Sirius as he ran a hand through his messy hair in an attempt to make himself look presentable. He made sure Sirius was fully covered before walking over to the door and opening it slowly, just enough to expose his face and bare chest. "Arthur?"

Arthur Weasley was standing outside the door, looking behind himself nervously before turning around and noticing that Remus had opened the door. "Remus! I've just received an owl from Dumbledore saying that the Ministry has expelled Harry from Hogwarts for using magic while under-age and in the presence of a muggle. Albus has gone to the Ministry to sort it out, and I've sent a letter to Harry to make sure he doesn't leave or give up his wand when the Ministry officials arrive. They want to snap his wand, Remus. I think you or Sirius should send him a letter, just to make sure he gets the point. Harry tends to be a bit hard-headed when he's angry," Arthur said all of this very quickly, glancing around the hall nervously. "I'm not supposed to tell Sirius, or Molly will kill me. She seems to think Sirius will go charging out of here and go after Harry if he finds out. You'll keep him in check, won't you?" Arthur whispered.

Remus nodded as he heard the sounds of Sirius jumping out of bed and redressing quickly. "Of course, don't worry. I'll keep Sirius calm and we'll send that letter. Let me know if anything else happens," he said quickly before waiting for Arthur's nod and closing the door. He turned just in time to see Sirius stowing his wand in his pocket and charging towards Remus and the door. "Oh no you don't, Sirius. We have to stay here and let Dumbledore deal with this," Remus said firmly, holding Sirius back with both hands, pushing him away from the door.

"I can't just let those Ministry morons take his wand, Remus! He has to have a valid excuse for using magic, Harry would never break the rules over something stupid," Sirius said hotly as he pushed Remus' hands away from him and began pacing the room.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Dumbledore is dealing with it, Sirius. He won't let the Ministry take Harry's wand away, you know that. Now calm down so we can write to Harry and make sure he doesn't do anything else to get himself in trouble," Remus said as he sat down at the desk and pulled parchment and quill towards him.

Sirius sat down in the second chair they had brought in and pulled the quill and parchment out of Remus' hands. "You always write a novel when you send letters, let me do it, it'll be quicker," Sirius said as he quickly dipped the quill into an ink pot that he had just opened.

'Arthur's just told us what's happened-

There was another knock on the door and Remus rushed to open it. This time, Arthur was accompanied by Molly, who looked furious yet worried. "Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry. He pointed out that the Ministry doesn't have the authority to expel Hogwarts students, and managed to get Harry off with just a hearing on August the twelfth. Apparently, Harry and his cousin were attacked by Dementors down an alley in Little Whinging. Arabella Figg has confirmed it, she was there to take Harry and his cousin back home after the attack. Mundungus was neglecting his guard duty apparently, because he wasn't there until after Harry was halfway home." Arther explained quickly, glancing sheepishly at his wife, whose eyes were boring into him like lasers.

Remus shook his head, slightly bewildered. "Why on earth were there Dementors in Little Whinging?" Remus asked in awe. Sirius had joined him at the door and was breathing annoyingly down his neck.

"Did Dumbledore say anything about going to get Harry now? Surely he isn't going to wait until the seventh to get him now?" Sirius asked, looking worried and slightly harassed.

Molly shook her head and stared firmly at Sirius. "Dumbledore has explicitly said that there will be no early removal of Harry. He suspects that You-Know-Who is behind the attack, and is waiting for the Order to make their move to retrieve Harry now so that his Death Eater's can attack. The seventh is only four days away. As long as Harry stays in the house, he is safe from any other sort of attack," Molly explained, making sure she left no room for argument.

Sirius growled as he stomped back over to the desk, plopped down into his seat, and picked up his quill once more.

Remus smiled nervously at Arthur and Molly, shaking his head in an exasperated way. "Thank you. We're sending Harry a letter now to make sure he doesn't leave his house again. Update us if you hear anything." Remus closed the door after Arthur and Molly both nodded and moved away. He walked back to the desk and sat down beside Sirius once more. He leaned over and read the letter that Sirius had scribbled out.

'Arthur's just told us what's happened.

Don't leave the house again, whatever you do.'

Remus could tell he was trying to keep emotion out of the words and figured it would have more of an affect on Harry then a mushy letter full or worry and warnings. He took the letter, rolled it up, and sealed it before walking over to the window. He whistled and a large gray owl flew into the window and rested on Remus' outstretched arm. Remus attached the scroll firmly to the owl's leg and leaned down to whisper, "Take this to Harry Potter as fast as you can. Do not wait for a response," he instructed the owl. The owl gave a hoot of consent and with a seconds pressure on Remus' arm, took flight out of the window once more. Remus moved to sit next to Sirius, who had moved to sit on the bed instead.

Sirius had his head in his hands, a million things running through his mind. The sight of Harry having his wand snapped, Harry being chased down by Dementors, Harry being Kissed by the putrid jaws of the horrible beasts like he'd seen happen so many times before to other prisoners in Azkaban. He let out a soft whimper as tears started to well up in his eyes.

Remus pulled Sirius up by the shoulder's and gathered him into a tight hug. "Don't worry, Padfoot. Harry is going to be just fine. Let's just go back to sleep and we can worry about it in the morning, ok?" he said quietly to his lover, rubbing his back soothingly.

Sirius sniffed and dried his tears as he pulled away from Remus. He nodded sadly and stood up to undress himself once more, though he left his boxers on this time.

Remus did the same before crawling into the bed and wrapping his arms tightly around Sirius, who was nuzzling himself into Remus' chest for comfort; physically and mentally. "Goodnight, Padfoot. I love you," Remus whispered, kissing the side of Sirius' head gently.

"'Night, I love you too," Sirius whispered back as he curled up closer to the werewolf and tried to coax himself into falling asleep. He had never felt so worried or scared for Harry before. It was a sign of just how much he loved his godson, and just how father-like he had come to feel towards the boy. He would never have children of his own, but as far as he was concerned, Harry _was_ his son, through and through.

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**A/N:** Please review! Even though I can't be on much, I still read them and love them! Sorry again for the long wait! Love y'all!


	12. The Other Side of The Advance Guard

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of it! Except maybe the typos...I'll claim those.

**A/N:** Hey all! I'm baaaaack! I can only get online at school though, so I'll have to use my time at home typing the chapters I handwrote over the past few weeks lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It strays a bit from the main story line and YES I did use some of the actual text from book five. That is all JK's I don't claim to have written it myself. It just seemed to fit so much better. Please leave love as always. I'll start replying to reviews soon. Thanks!

**WARNINGS:** I don't think there is any for this chapter. Trust me, there will be for later chapters (evil grin). One warning: it's unbeta'd! Sorry...

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**Ch 12.  
The Other Side of The Advance Guard**

"Sturgis Podmore? _Sturgis Podmore!_" Mad-Eye Moody growled as he read the last name off of his list. It was four o 'clock on August the seventh, and the Advance Guard was getting ready to take off for Surrey.

The door of the kitchen opened quickly and in walked a short wizard with a square jaw and straw coloured hair. "Sorry I'm late, Mad-Eye. I had guard duty at the Ministry and Arthur was late in taking my place.' Sturgis explained as he sat down in an empty chair at the dining table.

Moody glared at the man, but checked his name off the list without a word. "Ok, so everyone is here. Now, you've all memorized your jobs and your position in the flying formation, correct?" they all nodded and looked around to make sure everyone else had done their jobs, too. "Good. Severus explained to me yesterday that the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters aren't any the wiser to this plan, which is good for us. However, do not let this information fool you," he paused and stared around, "Constant vigilance!" he shouted, making the entire room jump. "We'll wait for Dumbledore's cue to leave. Until then, study your maps and plans for a while. No one is to leave this house." Moody growled as he stumped out of the kitchen.

Sirius was sitting beside Remus, reading his instructions and map over the werewolf's shoulder. "What does that mean there?" Sirius asked, pointing at a set of arrows turning endlessly in a circle around six names on the map. It was the flight positions of the Guard.

Remus glanced up at the map before returning to his notes. "It means that those people are to switch positions every so often. Harry will be surrounded, constantly," Remus reassured his lover. Sirius had been more worried about the mission than Remus had been himself. It was actually kind of cute to see him in a father-like panic over Harry's well-being.

"Oh, I see. And this 'H' in the middle is Harry?" Sirius asked for the thousandth time, his heart beating faster in anticipation. He was not only worried about his godson, but excited to finally get to see him again.

Remus rolled his eyes and rolled up the map and his notes. "Yes, Sirius. That 'H' is Harry. Stop being so worried, Padfoot. Harry will be fine with us. I won't let anything happen to him, you know that," Remus said with a smile.

Severus glanced over at the two men. The fact that they were obviously together didn't really bother Severus in the slightest, and that was a bit disconcerting. It wasn't that he disapproved of homosexuality, he didn't really care either way on that matter. What was bothering him was that he felt _happy_ for them. After all the hell he'd been through with Sirius specifically, Severus had been hell bent on wanting Sirius to be miserable. This change in emotion was partnered by his growing concern for Harry. What was wrong with him? Since when did he have a heart? After Lily had died, so had his heart.

"Is everything alright, Severus?" Remus asked as he raised an eyebrow at the man who had been staring at him and Sirius for a good three minutes already. Remus found it slightly amusing, though he didn't know why.

Severus blinked and cleared his throat, looking back down at his papers. "Yes, fine," he muttered, trying to hide the small blush that had crept onto his cheeks. If he hadn't been so pale, it wouldn't have been so obvious.

Sirius frowned slightly, looking away from Snape. "I think he fancies you, too," Sirius whispered into Remus' ear. He was only joking, but Snape's weird behavior had been increasing ever since their first Order meeting, and it was starting to bother Sirius.

Remus spluttered and spit out the tea he had just taken a sip of. He coughed and tried to clean his mess up as he laughed. Severus Snape, fancy him? That was not only hilarious, but a bit frightening. There was no way. Plus, Remus knew for a fact that Severus was straight. "Sirius, you prat. Shut up," Remus whispered as he cleared the tea off of his map.

Sirius was laughing as well, patting Remus gently on the back. He looked over at Snape, who was raising an eyebrow at the obvious shows of affection. Sirius quickly moved a little further away from Remus, blushing.

Everyone in the kitchen was staring at Remus and Sirius, curious and just a bit confused. Thank Merlin that Moody had stumped in right as Tonks had opened her mouth to speak, glaring slightly at the two men.

"I've just received Dumbledore's cue to leave. Everyone gather their brooms and meet in the front. Remember not to make your brooms too obvious, there are muggles living on this very street. Let's go." Moody bustled out of the room, his own broom laying across his shoulder.

Everyone stood up and made their way out of the kitchen, the incident only a few seconds ago seemingly escaping their memories for the time being. Everyone had left except for Remus, Sirius, and Severus, who was writing on a piece of parchment quickly. Severus looked up and saw that they were the only three in the kitchen. With a sigh, he stood up and stowed away his map and instructions, making his way towards the door. He paused to lay the parchment face down on the table, then pushed open the door and left.

Sirius watched Severus go, frowning in confusion. "What on earth was that about?" Sirius said as he reached for the parchment.

Remus shrugged and shook his head. "I've no idea. What does it say?" Remus asked as Sirius began to read the note. Sirius pushed the parchment towards him, looking slightly annoyed.

_'Don't flatter yourself, Black. I don't fancy your boyfriend. I do suggest, however, that you two be more careful about displays of affection. Harry is a lot more intelligent than most people in this house and will pick up on it quickly. Potter also has a tendency to not keep his mouth shut. So unless you want all of the wizarding world to know, keep it in the bedroom.'_

Remus frowned, blushing a little. "Well, apparently Tonks isn't the only one who knows. I think he knew about us back in Hogwarts, though. He's right, though Padfoot. Harry is very intelligent, he'll figure it out," Remus said, lighting the parchment on fire with the tip of his wand then vanishing the ashes.

Sirius sighed and nodded. 'I know. We'll have to be more discreet. You'd better go before Moody bursts in here with a search party," Sirius said as he stood up. The fact that Severus knew was not what had upset him. His slight on Harry was what bothered him.

Remus stood up and pulled Sirius into a hug, smiling. "We'll survive. And he can wait, I want to say goodbye." he leaned in and kissed his lover passionately, running a hand through his silky black hair.

Sirius kissed Remus back, pressing himself firmly against the werewolf. "Be careful, Remus," Sirius whispered as he pulled away. He wished he could go along with the Guard, but knew it would be better for everyone if he stayed.

Remus kissed Sirius again before pulling away and walking towards the kitchen door. "I will be," he whispered as he pushed open the door and left, leaving Sirius alone in the musky and dark kitchen.

It was freezing, especially that high up in the sky. Severus pulled his disillusioned cloak closer to him as he scanned the sky for any sign of movement. He could see the mist of his breath as he checked his watch; six forty-five. He grumbled as he turned and scanned the sky in the opposite direction. So far, so good. There was not a plane, bird, or any other flying thing in sight. It was slightly cloudy, however, and the air was very damp with the threat of rain. The sun was setting fast, and Severus would soon lose what little light he had. No matter, his vision was excellent in the dark.

Severus flew in a circle, extremely high above the square houses of Private Drive. He flew a little to the left and scanned the land below. He spotted the familiar river and located the park in which he had met Lily Evans. It was old and starting to fall apart now. Severus sighed, his breath misty against the cold once more. It felt like a hundred years ago that he had met the fiery red-head. With a sad sort of smile, he flew back to where he was supposed to be, scanning the skies for anything around number four, Private Drive. He felt old, looking down at Lily's old house and remembering the first and only time he had ever been inside...

_"Lily, I don't think this is a good idea, what if she comes home early?" Severus was eleven years old, and walking up the stairs of Lily Evans' house, following the red-head up._

_"Don't be such a kill joy, Sev. She said she'd be with her friends for a couple of hours, I heard her talking to my mum. I want to know what that letter said," Lily said as she walked over to Petunia's bedroom door and pushed it open quietly. She looked around the room and tried to decide where to look first; the desk. She walked over and began to look through the paper littering the wooden surface._

_Severus was standing in the middle of the bedroom, taking in the look of Lily's sister's room. It was very bright and girlie, with dolls and stuffed bears piled onto the pink bedspread across the medium sized bed. It was very different from his own dark and dangerous looking house._

_"Come help me look, Severus. I can't find it," Lily said as she ruffled through the top drawer. She had been sure she had seen the envelope that morning at breakfast._

_Severus moved forward, looking around at the papers on the desk. "I still think you've been mistaken. Muggles can't contact Hogwarts, they don't have an owl and they can't send it through muggle post. Hogwarts letters only come by owl," Severus explained. Just then, his eyes fell onto a large envelope with the Hogwarts crest on it. "Lily." Severus tapped Lily lightly on the shoulder and pointed to the envelope._

_Lily turned to look at what Severus was pointing at and immediately grabbed the envelope. "I told you I saw it!" Lily exclaimed as she quickly pulled the letter out of the envelope and began to read, Severus standing over her shoulder to read it as well._

_A few minutes later, Lily folded the parchment back up and put it back in the envelope. She placed the envelope exactly where they had found it and led the way out of Petunia's room and into her own, Severus following behind her. "She asked to go to Hogwarts with me...Sev, I thought she hated me for being a witch." Lily said quietly as she sat down on her bed and pulled a stuffed animal up to her chest and hugged it._

_Severus sat down beside Lily frowning at the look of sadness on Lily's face. He didn't want Lily to be sad, it made him sad too. "Well Dumbledore is right. If she doesn't show any signs of magic by age seven, she won't receive her Hogwarts Letter. She's not magical, Lily. It happens all the time," Severus explained, trying to make Lily feel better._

_Lily sighed and tossed the stuffed animal behind her, looking over at Severus. "I know, but I still feel horrible. At least Dumbledore was kind about it." Lily stood up and moved to look out her window at the darkening sky._

_Severus stood up and followed her, standing beside her and looking out towards the bright full moon that was beginning to surface. "There must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who deal with magical mail. I don't see how else her letter could have gotten to Hogwarts." Severus said lightly, afraid to upset Lily more. _

_Lily nodded distractedly, still looking out the window. "Yeah, I guess...Maybe you should go home now, Tuney will be home soon. Want me to walk you?" Lily asked as she turned and smiled at Severus. _

_Severus smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." They both left the house, walking slowly back towards the river and Spinner's End. Severus paused at the park, smiling at Lily. "I think I'll go alone from here. I don't want you going into my neighborhood, it's not a very nice place," Severus said as he walked closer to the fiery haired Lily. "Listen, Lil. Petunia will be fine, don't worry about her. We're going to Hogwarts in a week! Don't let this ruin your excitement," Severus said excitedly._

_Lily smiled widely, walking forward and hugging Severus tightly for a few seconds before backing away. "Thanks, Sev. I can't wait to go to Hogwarts with you. See you here tomorrow after lunch?" Lily asked, motioning towards the park._

_Severus smiled as he felt butterflies erupt into his stomach. He had never been hugged by anyone but his mother before. "I can't wait either, Lily. Of course, tomorrow after lunch sounds good," Severus said as he began to walk slowly backwards._

_Lily giggled and waved as she too started to walk backwards. "See you then!" Lily called as she turned and started walking home a bit faster now. It was already after dark, she would be in trouble if she didn't hurry home._

_"Goodbye, Lily!" Severus called, smiling to himself and making his way back home, feeling ten times happier than he'd ever felt before..._

Severus glanced down at his watch; seven-fourteen. He scanned the sky quickly, taking in every star and cloud, but seeing nothing more. He looked down and saw nine little dots standing in the backyard of number four. He pulled out his wand and waited for his watch to say seven-fifteen before shooting up red sparks from his wand tip. He watched as the nine dots mounted nine sticks, which were obviously brooms. He scanned the sky once more, turning a full circle and looping around one more time. Nothing. He raised his wands and sent up green sparks as his watch ticked seven-twenty.

Severus moved higher into the sky, his hands freezing to his broom as he watched the nine figures grow larger. He saw a blurry figure on the broom in the very center and saw that Harry had been disillusioned. He was about fifty feet above the formation of fliers, watching the sky around them. The nine figures grew smaller and smaller as they flew back towards London; the people above, below, and at either side of Harry switching spots every few seconds.

RSRSRS

Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by the other Order members. He felt awkward without Remus there with him. Dumbledore was cracking a few jokes as entertainment as they all waited for the Advance Guard to arrive with Harry. It was already nine-thirty, and they still weren't back. Dumbledore wasn't expecting them till ten, but Sirius felt slightly uneasy.

Molly bustled out of the kitchen and said she was going to check if she could see them coming yet. She was just as worried, if not more, about Harry's safety. A few minutes later, Severus Snape walked in, storing his broom in the corner and taking a seat which was much closer to the front than his normal seat.

"Ah, Severus. Everything went well, I assume? Are you ready to give that report, then?" Dumbledore asked with a smile. Everyone else in the room was staring at Snape, waiting for something to happen.

Severus nodded slowly, looking over at Dumbledore. "Yes, everything went according to plan. They should be here shortly. And yes, I'm ready, sir." As soon as Severus had said this, the kitchen door opened and in walked all of the Advance Guard.

Sirius beamed as Remus sat down beside him, sweeping his gold and gray hair out of his eyes. "Where's Harry at?" he asked quietly, looking around but seeing no sign of his godson.

Remus smiled and shook his head. "He's not allowed in the meeting. You can see him afterwards," Remus whispered, taking a sip of his tea and looking towards Dumbledore, who was smiling at him.

Molly walked back in quietly and took the seat beside her husband, looking over at Dumbledore with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Ok, I call this meeting to order. Good evening to all! I hope everyone on the Advance Guard found the mission safe and fairly easy?" everyone nodded in agreement and Dumbledore beamed. "Good. Now let us turn our attentions to Severus, who has made a report on all he knows of Voldemort's plan to seize the Prophecy." Dumbledore nodded to Severus and sat down, looking at him expectantly.

Severus stood up, feeling like he was under a very bright spotlight. He pulled out a folder and ruffled through a few pieces of parchment before pulling one out and setting the folder back down. "Since I last spoke to Lucius Malfoy, it has become clear that the Dark Lord knows a lot more than we thought before. He knows specifically where in the Hall of Prophecy his particular Prophecy sits. Malfoy has confided in me that the Dark Lord has been getting his information from the same Unspeakable who is under the Imperius curse, and has been working on this mission for some time now. I believe whoever is Imperiused is fighting it, however, because there is still no sign that the Dark Lord knows that only the people to which the Prophecy pertains can remove it from it's place. Lucius also told me that he has reported to the Dark Lord of some suspicious people lurking around the corridor around the same time the Death Eaters are keeping watch. He is under the impression that the Ministry has caught on, and is watching Lucius and Selwyn, the other Death Eater who goes with him on these watches. He isn't any the wiser to the Order, but the fact that he saw a few people in the corridor at the time is enough to make me believe that the Order Guard are not being careful enough. I was asked to go on a watch with Lucius and what I saw confirms my beliefs. I saw the top of Podmore's head, plainly visible in the corner, the cloak covering the rest of him. If I had not steered Lucius away right then, Podmore would have been found for sure. It is my strongest suggestion that the Guard members use extreme caution while on duty," Severus finished, looking around at Dumbledore and sitting back down.

Dumbledore stood up and looked around at everyone, his eyes resting for a second on the pale face of Sturgis Podmore. "Thank you, Severus. I had already been under the impression that Voldemort had been trying to get into the Hall for awhile now. What I didn't know, however, was that he knew the precise location of the Prophecy itself. Would you mind telling us where Voldemort believes it to be?" Dumbledore asked, inclining his head back towards Snape.

Severus nodded. "Row ninety-seven, shelf thirteen, sixth from the left," Severus recited quite easily, as though he had memorized the information on purpose.

Dumbledore frowned slightly and nodded. "That is indeed where the Prophecy is located. This is most disturbing, as it shows the Dark Lord is one step closer to the Prophecy," he paused and looked around, "I thought I had made it very clear that no one was to be seen while on Guard duty in the Ministry. If we were to be discovered it would mean not only hell from the Ministry, but from Voldemort himself. I am trusting that you all redouble your efforts to stay concealed while on duty. If anything of the sort should happen again, we may not be so lucky as to have it avoided. Now, we have one more report to listen to before I will dismiss you. Since it is so late, I will not keep you all here for too long. Sirius, are you ready?" Dumbledore asked as he looked towards Sirius.

Sirius smiled and stood up. "Sure am, sir. There wasn't very many books on the Department of Mysteries for obvious reasons. However, I did find a few books who mentioned some specifics. As you enter the Department, you end up in a circular room, with black doors all around. They're not marked at all, but it is said that the Unspeakables know a spell to reveal which door they need to go through. Once one door is closed, the room spins, making the door impossible to distinguish from the next without the spell. It's a deterrent to keep unwanted personnel out. There is also a room called the Time Chamber. This is where the Unspeakables study the aspects of time. The Ministry's entire stock of Time-Turners is also kept there. That is as much information as I could find. Everything else simply said that the Department could not be discussed," Sirius finished, feeling slightly disappointed in himself.

Dumbledore nodded and stood up as Sirius sat back down. "Thank you, Sirius. Your discoveries about the entrance to the Department are most helpful, as I've never heard of it before. We will have to do some research to find out the spell the Unspeakables use. Is there anything more?" Dumbledore asked, looking around at everyone.

Sirius raised his hand, feeling childish. "Actually sir, I have a question. Harry is going to want some answers after being left in the dark for most of the summer. What exactly are we supposed to tell him when he asks?" Sirius said, motioning towards himself, Remus, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Dumbledore studied Sirius for a few seconds. "Very good question, Sirius. I believe Harry should be told the truth, to an extent. I suggest you tell him only what he needs to know, but not everything. Do not mention the Prophecy, however. I don't want Harry knowing just yet. Anything else?" Dumbledore looked around, but no one raised their hand this time. "Very well, I motion that this meeting be adjourned," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Moody, as always, rolled up the parchment he had been writing on and stood up himself. "I second the motion, meeting adjourned! Good work on the Guard mission everyone," Moody said as he turned to leave.

Remus smiled at Sirius as he stowed away his report. "Don't look so bummed, love. That was actually very informative," Remus whispered, leaning towards Sirius.

Sirius smiled and looked towards Remus, shaking his head. "I was very distracted during my research, thanks to someone," he whispered back with a soft chuckle.

"I need to have a quick word with Molly, I'll be right back," Remus said as he stood up and left the kitchen. He walked up the stairs and towards the front door, where Molly and Tonks were seeing the last few people out of the door. Remus pulled out his wand and helped restore the locks and bolts with Molly and Tonks. He turned to see Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and the Twins all walking down the stairs. He smiled as Harry got his eye and smirked at him.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley whispered, meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here -"

_CRASH._

_"Tonks!"_ cried Mrs. Weasley exasperatedly, turning to look behind her.

"I'm sorry!" Wailed tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over -"

The rest of her words were drowned out by the horrible sounds of Mrs. Black, screaming and shrieking as the curtains over her portrait sprang open. Remus and Molly ran forward and tried to pull the curtains back over the screaming woman, but they wouldn't budge. Tonks was apologizing profusely as she dragged the heavy trolls head off of the floor and set it right again. The other portraits along the wall began screaming and yelling in pain, making the noise almost unbearable.

Sirius came charging out of the door leading down to the kitchen just as Molly was stunning all of the portraits in the hall, shutting them up instantly. "Shut up, you horrible hag, shut UP!" he roared, seizing the curtain Molly had abandoned.

Mrs. Black's eyes went wide and she pointed a long-nailed finger at Sirius. "_Yoooou! Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!_" she shrieked.

"I said- shut - UP!" Sirius roared again, and with a stupendous effort, he and Remus managed to force the curtain closed again. The old woman's voice died and an echoing silence fell. Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Sirius turned towards his godson, smiling lightly.

"Hello, Harry," he said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."

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**A/N: **Well I hope you all enjoyed that update. I'll give you another in a couple of days perhaps. My posting is catching up to my writing, so I need time to get ahead of the game. Thanks for sticking with me!


	13. The Guardians

**DISCLAIMER:** Nope, still don't own!

**A/N:** Hey all! Here's another chapter for you all! This one isn't beta'd either, sorry. I just don't have time nor the resources to wait for it to be beta'd. The last chapter as well as this one are kind of short, sorry about that too. With this chapter, it just seemed like a good spot to end it, so I ended it. The chapter I'm working on now is fairly long. Think of chapter 12 and 13 as co-chapters to make it seem longer haha. Thanks for all the love and I hope to be able to respond soon!

**WARNING:** This chapter strays a lot further from canon than previous ones. Again, it's my artisitc license lol. The '...' indicates a dream sequence.

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**Ch 13.  
The Guardians**

_...The moonlight was blindingly bright, shining through the leafy canopy of a large forest. There was a rustle of branches, and the wolf turned his head to sniff the air. _Human_. There was another rustling and a young boy with dirty-blond hair fell onto the forest floor, his cheeks streaked with tears. The wolf licked his lips as he slunk closer to the ground, stalking his new prey. _That's him_, the wolf thought with satisfaction and excitement. He had been waiting for the last three full moons to catch this particular piece of prey on its own._

_Remus was lost. Very, very lost. His mother had warned him about these woods, but he had only intended to explore a little bit, then head back home. It was way past his bed time, and it was very cold. He had been trying for nearly two hours to find his way back to the trail, but had only succeeded in getting even more lost. He was scared and cold, crying silently as he pushed himself up off of the ground and brushed his dirty hands off on his shirt. There was a rustling in the bush straight in front of him and he stood stock still, staring towards the bush with wide eyes._

_The wolf's eyes flashed and with the quickness of lightning, he bolted out from behind the bush and tackled the small boy. He found pure delight in the sound of the boy's ear-splitting scream as he sank his fangs deep into the warm flesh of his neck. He clawed viciously at the boy's chest, ripping and tearing his skin to shreds. With one last swipe of claws across the face, the wolf released the boy and ran off into the night, licking to warm blood off of his lips._

_Remus was lying in a pool of blood, his breathing coming in short, raspy spurts. He felt numb as the darkness started to take over his vision, and had enough consciousness to recognize his father's horrified and pale face and a haunting echo of a distant howl before blacking out completely..._

_Sirius was kneeling on his four-poster bed in the third year Gryffindor dorms. He had been listening to the soft whimpers and thrashing for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. He stood up slowly and padded his way across the room, opening Remus' curtains slowly. The boy was still sleeping, pale and sweaty as he squirmed with a pained expression on his face. _

_Sirius had no idea what to do. Remus was obviously having a nightmare, but he was afraid to wake him up and frighten him further. Without much thought as to why, he crawled into the bed behind Remus, gently wrapping an arm around the werewolf's waist. _

_Remus' breathing slowed, and his whimpering and squirming stopped as he turned and nuzzled his face into Sirius' neck. He curled up in a little ball, draping an arm across Sirius' waist. He was half awake, but unconscious to his actions._

_Sirius gently ran a hand through Remus' hair, which was extremely soft and silky. He leaned close to the werewolf's ear and whispered, "It's ok, Moony...I'm here."_

_The two boys continued this ritual for two whole years, neither one mentioning it to the other while awake, though they both knew. Every time Sirius would hear the soft whimpering, he would tiptoe his way over to Remus' bed, crawl in behind him, and whisper that everything was alright, that he was there to protect Remus from whatever this recurring nightmare was. Remus would cuddle up to Sirius, his nightmare instantly banished from his thoughts as he fell back to sleep in Sirius' arms. Neither one of the boys found it odd, or sexual in any way. They were simply two best friends comforting each other in times of need; nothing more, nothing less._

_Sirius was always the first to wake up after these nights. He would disentangle himself from Remus and creep back to his own bed in the very early hours of the morning before James and Peter got up. This was to keep odd questions from surfacing, as Sirius figured that Remus did not want everyone knowing about his nightmares._

_On one particular morning at the very beginning of fifth year, it had been Remus who had awakened first. He lay still, watching the rising and falling of Sirius' bare chest, an arm wrapped loosely around him. He had never watched the raven-haired boy sleep, as Sirius had always moved back to his own bed before Remus woke up. As he studied the soft skin and silky hair, he felt a jolt in his stomach that he had never experienced before. Remus reached out a hand and lightly moved a lock of onyx hair out of Sirius' eyes. As soon as he had done this, Sirius opened his eyes and stared into Remus' golden ones._

_The two boys just stared at each other for a long while, neither one moving or looking away. Good thing it was a Saturday morning; James and Peter would be sleeping in a bit later. After what felt like an hour, Sirius finally broke the silence._

_"What do you dream about, Moony?" he asked the question that had been left unsaid for two whole years. He had always wanted to ask, but it had been a sort of unspoken agreement that they never mention their ritual._

_Remus' expression was unreadable as he looked back into Sirius' eyes. "The night I was attacked and turned into a werewolf. I was five," Remus whispered, finally breaking the eye contact and studying the glint of sunlight in Sirius' hair instead._

_Sirius' nodded slowly, feeling slightly sick. So that was why Remus had whimpered and cried, thrashed and squirmed. Sirius felt so very bad for his friend, but never let it show on his face; Remus hated being pitied. "I'm always here for you, Moony. Every time, I'll be here,' Sirius assured his friend, smiling lightly._

_Remus looked back into Sirius' gray orbs, feeling a slight tingling feeling on the back of his neck. "I know, Sirius. Thank you..." he whispered, brushing the back of his fingers across Sirius' soft cheek. Remus couldn't bring himself to say what he longed to say, to tell Sirius just how he felt._

_Sirius smiled and ran a hand through Remus' honey-gold locks. "No problem, Moony. You can always count on me," Sirius promised. There was a shifting of curtains and a tumble of footsteps as one of the other boys in the dorm got up and walked into the bathroom. "Guess that's my cue," Sirius said with a smirk as he made to get up and move to his own bed._

_Remus held firmly onto Sirius' wrist, keeping his friend from moving away. "Stay...Please? I don't care if they know about my nightmares, I just want you to stay," Remus whispered, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. He just wanted to feel Sirius beside him for a little bit longer._

_Sirius made no more efforts to move away and positioned himself comfortably beside his best friend. "Of course, Moony. I'll stay." Sirius smiled and entwined his fingers with Remus', no sense of awkwardness at all._

Remus woke with a start, sweat covering his body and his heart beating rapidly in his chest. It was the first time he had had that same nightmare since his days in Hogwarts. He felt weird not having Sirius there beside him, telling him everything was going to be ok. He was so used to having that comfort as a teen; he had forgotten how to deal with the horrible dream without Sirius.

Remus stood up from his cot and walked into the bathroom. He caught his reflection in the mirror; he was extremely pale, and his hair seemed more gray than ever. With a sigh, Remus turned on the tap and let the cool water run through his fingers before splashing some on his warm face.

He had one more night in this stupid flat, and then he could go home to Sirius. He hated when Dumbledore sent him on long missions, forbidding him from contacting Sirius. He knew his lover was probably going spare in that house with almost no one to talk to. Remus missed Sirius a great deal, and almost went insane when he couldn't talk to his lover during these missions. They were pointless anyways; the clan Head had made it quite clear that they did not support either side.

Remus made his way back to the uncomfortable cot and laid down, trying to imagine what Sirius was doing right then, and if he was thinking of Remus, too.

RSRSRSRS

Sirius was going mad. Completely, utterly, undeniably insane.

Remus had been gone for an entire week and still there was no word from him. No one seemed to be able or willing to give Sirius details, and just kept reassuring him that Remus was fine, that he'd be back soon. He had left the night before the full moon, what if something bad had happened to him? Would Dumbledore even tell Sirius if Remus had been hurt, or worse- killed?

There was a quiet knock on the door. Sirius sighed and stood up from his bed, where he had been reading the Instructional Journal that Remus had given him, and was attempting to write the backwards letter to his love interest that the page instructed him to write. He walked over and cracked the door open to see Harry standing in the hall, looking slightly annoyed.

"Oh, it's you. Come in," Sirius said as he pulled the door open and let Harry walk in. He watched as Harry glanced around the room, his eyes falling on Remus' brief case for a few seconds longer. "What's wrong, Har-"

"You've skipped meals for the last three days, you won't answer when Mrs. Weasley calls for you, and Kreacher has been beating himself over the head with the fireplace poker for the last hour because Mrs. Weasley caught him throwing away the food he was supposed to bring up to you. What's going on, Sirius?" Harry asked, frowning at his godfather with a look of defiance. Oh, Harry was definitely James' kid.

Sirius sighed and plopped down onto his bed, frowning slightly. He knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but he wanted Remus to be there when it did. He thought for a minute or two, trying to come up with a cover story. Nothing came to him.

"Harry, it's very complicated. I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell you what's bothering me just yet. At some point, I promise, I'll tell you everything," Sirius said quietly, not quite meeting his godson's eyes.

"What's complicated, Sirius? The fact that you're sulking because you hate living here? Look, I know how you feel. It's what I go through with the Dursley's every summer holiday away from Hogwarts, but you can't shut yourself out from the world. By locking yourself away, you're only making it worse. Can't you see that?" Harry pleaded, plopping down onto the bed and sitting across from Sirius.

Sirius sighed and shook his head. There was nothing for it now. Harry had completely the wrong idea. Though Sirius did hate living in this house, it was being there without Remus that was causing his fit of angst. He needed to set Harry's ideas right; he didn't want his godson thinking he was only sulking because he hated his old house.

"Harry, that's not exactly it. You're right, I do hate this bloody house, but that's not my problem," he paused, studying Harry's expectant expression carefully. "Harry, can I trust you with something? I don't want anything I tell you to change the way you think of me." Sirius sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Remus was going to be upset that he was not here to help explain, but Sirius could find no other way out of it.

Harry looked slightly worried, but nodded slowly. "Of course, Sirius. Nothing you can say would make me think any less of you," Harry said truthfully. What on earth was Sirius keeping from him?

Sirius bit his lip in thought for a few seconds before looking back at Harry. "Growing up at Hogwarts with your father, Remus, and Peter was crazy. I loved every second of it, and if I could go back and do it again, I would. James was by best friend, practically my brother. That's how we always regarded each other. We were more family than we were friends. What most people don't realize is that Remus and I were also very close. We never really regarded each other as brotherly, but it was certainly something other than friendship," he paused as a slight look of comprehension began to spread across Harry's face.

"At first, I was more like Remus' protector, or guardian. After we figured out he was a werewolf in our second year, I became very protective of him. I couldn't really understand it at such a young age, but I felt so strongly for Remus. It was totally different from how I felt about James and Peter. I was protective of them too, but they never really needed it. Remus was the one who was so vulnerable, so small," Sirius smiled as the memory of the tiny and scarred form of a twelve-year-old Remus flowed into his minds' eye.

"We became very close, but with a much different relationship than I shared with James. One thing in particular brought us even closer over the years; his nightmares. He would have recurring nightmares of the night he was attacked and turned into a werewolf. Sometimes he would have them every night for weeks, and other times he wouldn't have them for a month straight. One night when I realized that Remus was having some sort of nightmare, I tried to comfort him, to wake him up from it. As soon as I touched him he started to calm down, and so I figured it out; Remus needed physical comfort to get passed these dreams. So every time he'd have a nightmare, I'd crawl into bed with him and just hold him, waiting until his whimpering stopped and watching him fall into a peaceful sleep," Sirius smiled warmly at his godson, who was smirking back at him.

"Mind you, this started when we were thirteen. It was purely a friend comforting another friend. It carried on for two years like that. James and Peter never knew about the nightmares, or the way I would console Remus. In fifth year, they discovered our secret. They didn't care. It was never awkward with James, Remus and Peter. We just understood each other so well. In the middle of fifth year, realization started to hit me, and I figured out why I felt so differently towards Remus than I did towards James. I was in _love_ with him," Sirius stopped, surprised to see a small smile forming on Harry's lips.

"I soon figured out that Remus felt the same, and it carried on from there. We had been together for nearly four and a half years when everything happened with you and your parents. I was locked away and Remus was left to believe that I had killed Peter and brought about the death of your parents. I always knew I was innocent, but Remus always believed I was guilty. That is until your third year, Harry, when you helped uncover the truth. I owe you so much for clearing my name, at least with my friends and the people who really mattered," Sirius pat Harry firmly on the back with a wide smile.

"Only recently, just after the last task of the Triwizard, I was told to go stay with Remus until Dumbledore could figure some things out. We had a rough time at first, trying to trust each other again, but everything just fell into place like it had so many years before. All that time in Azkaban, I never stopped loving Remus. The memory of him was the only thing that kept me sane in that horrible place. We've set aside most of our differences now, though we still have the occasional fight. What you must understand, Harry, is that the love Remus and I share was built up over a very long time. Love of that magnitude never goes away. As kids, we never thought about it being awkward that we were both boys. It just felt so right, it didn't really matter. Love is blind; it doesn't care about sex or blood status, or anything like that. We can't help who our heart chooses, and I've never regretted falling in love with another man. Times have changed, and that sort of relationship is more common with your generation. In our time, it was a very unique thing, and always kept very private," Sirius stopped and quirked an eye brow at the very amused expression on Harry's face. "What?" he asked incredulously. Was Harry making fun of him?

Harry let out a soft chuckle. "Don't you think I haven't already worked most of that out myself? Well, maybe in less detail, but I knew you and Lupin were much closer than friends. Why were you so afraid to tell me?" Harry asked, a genuine smile on his face. He looked so very much like James at the moment, it was scary.

Sirius smiled. "Remus and I would have told you sooner, but his position with the Ministry is very shaky already, his being a werewolf and all. If they were to discover that he was gay, not to mention in a relationship with the most wanted man in the Wizarding World, there's no telling what they'd do. They're simply horrible to magical creatures. They're treated with the same respect as house-elves, though even a little bit less, as house-elves are allowed jobs. When Remus and I were kids, werewolves were strictly forbidden from receiving a formal education. It was illegal. Dumbledore risked his job and the reputation of the school in order to allow Remus to attend Hogwarts. Remus was so incredibly magically powerful, Dumbledore simply couldn't refuse Remus' his letter. Remus is one of the very few werewolves in existence to live as a wizard, and not as a dark creature," Sirius explained, feeling a tug at his heart as his intense longing for Remus returned full-force.

Harry nodded slowly, finally understanding. "So you're not sulking because of the house...You miss him," Harry said, smiling lightly. Harry had never experienced true love himself, but he hoped he could have a similar relationship with someone at some point.

Sirius sighed and smiled sadly. "Very much. I'm so worried about him every time he leaves. No one tells me anything about his missions, so I never have any idea of when he's coming home. Or _if_ he's coming home..." Sirius frowned, looking away from Harry and towards the bedroom window.

Harry laid a hand gently on Sirius' knee, a look of concern on his features. "Hey, don't think like that. Lupin is strong, he can handle whatever is out there. He's amazing at defense! Without him, I would never have been able to produce that Patronus a few days ago and save my cousin and myself. I owe my life to Lupin, a few times over I believe. He'll come back, you know he will," Harry explained, trying to wipe that incredibly sad look off his godfather's face.

Sirius smiled and gripped Harry's hand for a few seconds. "Thanks, Harry. I'd really go insane if you weren't here." Sirius laughed his familiar bark like laugh for the first time since Remus had left on his mission.

Harry laughed along and stood up, motioning towards the door. "Now come down and eat dinner with us. You're already too skinny as it is. Lupin will kill you if he finds out you've not been eating," Harry said sternly, though he smiled.

Sirius laughed and stood up. He led the way out of his room, but stopped to look at Harry. "You don't only just look like him, you know. You sound just like James, the way he always worried over me like a concerned brother. It's amazing how much you've turned out like him, even though he couldn't be here to influence you," Sirius said softly. It was simply incredible how much Harry reminded him of James.

Harry just beamed and nodded slowly, taking a deep breath to steady the sudden flow of emotion that was inspired by Sirius' words. "I wish he could see us now," Harry whispered. He felt so very lonely all of the sudden.

Sirius put an arm around Harry's shoulder and smiled widely, looking up at the ceiling at nothing in particular. "He can, Harry; we just can't see him."

They walked down the rest of the way to the kitchen, the thought of James watching over them warming them both from the inside out.

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**A/N:** I hope to be able to update again soon! College is stressful, but it's so worth it! Much love!


	14. You're Amazing

**DISCLAIMER:** Same as the other thirteen disclaimers I've written for this story so far! (running out of creative ways to say it, people!)

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Well here's another chapter! I hope you like it. There's now an actual poll on my profile to vote for where I should end this story, and whether or not I should write a prequel. Everyone should go vote now, even if you already voted in a review, do it again! There's still quite a bit more to write until I reach decision making time, so It'll be open for a little while. Make your opinion count! Anyways, enjoy!

**WARNING:** SMUT! Woot! Oooh, I wanna sex you up! Er…sorry, 90's flashback.

* * *

**Ch 14.  
You're Amazing**

_Thunk!_

"Moony?"

Remus was hopping up and down on one foot, trying not to curse out loud as he massaged his smashed toe. Damn that stupid trunk of his! "Sorry, Padfoot. I didn't mean to wake you," Remus whispered as he sat his hurt foot gingerly back on the floor. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Moony!" Sirius crawled out from beneath the covers quickly and tackled his lover in a tight hug, planting kisses all over his face and neck. "You're back, you're back!" he exclaimed with a wide smile as he relented his attack and looked down at Remus. He was ghostly pale and looked extremely tired, though he too had a wide smile across his face. "Merlin, Rem, you look horrible," Sirius whispered with a concerned look.

Remus laughed and pushed Sirius off of him so he could sit up properly. "Thanks, Sirius. That was such a lovely welcome home. I think you broke my spine, you big oaf," Remus chuckled, though he was purely joking.

Sirius let out a soft laugh and rubbed Remus' back soothingly. "Seriously, Remus, you don't look too well. Are you alright? The full moon was a week ago; surely it's still not the moon's pull? Are you injured?" Sirius asked, starting to feel slightly panicked now. What had the werewolf been through while he was away?

Remus smiled and closed his eyes, savoring the therapeutic rubbing of his back. "I'm fine, Sirius, really. I'm just really tired, that's all," Remus assured his lover as he reluctantly stood up to undress himself. He pulled his shirt over his head after throwing aside his traveling cloak and slipped his pants off, leaving his boxers on. What he really wanted was a hot shower, but he was simply too tired to bother at this point. He crawled into the bed beside Sirius, slipping underneath the warm and fluffy covers. "God I missed sleeping in a real bed," Remus sighed as he laid his head gently on his pillow.

Sirius smiled and laid himself back down beside the werewolf, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him closer. "I missed you, Moony. I was going insane without you," Sirius whispered. He gently kissed the crook of Remus' neck, relishing the exotic taste that was all Remus.

Remus let out a content sigh and tilted his head to allow Sirius access. He was craving Sirius' warmth more than ever; the dingy old flat he was occasionally forced to stay in was freezing cold at night. "I missed you too, Padfoot. I hate being away from you..." Remus whispered back as he wrapped his arms gently around Sirius.

"Me too..." Sirius mumbled as he crawled slowly on top of Remus. He abandoned the werewolf's neck and instead pressed his lips firmly to Remus' mouth, sliding in his tongue with no preamble and exploring his mouth. _Merlin_ did he ever miss doing this with Remus.

Remus let out a soft moan as he ran his hands all over Sirius' naked back and chest, taking in every curve and dip in his physique. He reached down and firmly grabbed his lover's bottom, squeezing roughly in a teasing manner.

Sirius gasped into Remus' mouth, his entire body heating up just at Remus' touch. He ground his hips down against Remus, expressing his need. Remus could make his body respond so quickly, he felt like a fifteen-year-old boy again.

Suddenly, there was a tentative knock on the bedroom door, making both Remus and Sirius groan in annoyance. Sirius reluctantly rolled off of Remus and made a frustrated noise into his pillow as Remus pulled on a dressing gown and walked over to the door. He was so annoyed he forgot to fix his hair. It certainly gave him the impression of just having had a roll in the hay.

"Yes?" Remus said a little snappishly as he opened the door. He flushed a dark crimson as Harry cocked an eyebrow and smirked knowingly. "Oh, Harry, it's you," Remus said as he tried not to look into the boy's eyes.

Harry was trying his hardest not to laugh. It was obvious he had disturbed Remus' 'welcome home' from Sirius. "Sorry to disturb you, but Professor Dumbledore would like to have a word with you. He's down in the basement kitchen." Harry bit his lip to keep himself from bursting into laughter.

Remus frowned, checking his watch. "It's nearly midnight, that man always picks the _worst_ times," Remus sighed and looked at Harry suspiciously. "What are you doing up, anyways?" Remus asked in a bit of an accusatory voice.

Harry couldn't stand it anymore. He started laughing softly and tried to stifle the laughter with his hand. "I c-couldn't s-sleep, so I went down to m-make a cup of tea and r-ran into Professor Dumbledore in th-the kitchen. He knows you g-got back tonight is m-my guess," Harry managed to mutter out through his stifled laughter. He couldn't stop stuttering as his eyes began to swim with tears of laughter.

"Who is out there giggling like a little girl at midni- ! Oh...Harry." Sirius had gotten out of bed and stalked over to the door in an annoyed huff and pulled it open even more, not bothering to clothe himself anymore than just his boxers. He blushed and bit his lip; he had not told Remus that Harry knew about them yet. As if he had had time to tell him yet anyways.

Remus' face went a bit paler, if possible, as he turned to glare at Sirius. "Sirius..." he growled through clenched teeth. Well, the cat was among the pixies now! Harry was sure to put this odd little scene together in his head; though Remus thought Harry's giggling gave away the fact that he already knew. "Tell Dumbledore I'll be down in a minute, I suppose. And stop giggling," Remus snapped, though he could not stop the grin from spreading across his face. When it came down to it, the situation was actually pretty amusing; Remus and Sirius had been caught red-handed.

Harry snorted in laughter and doubled over, clutching the door frame for support. He couldn't help it; the gob-smacked look on Remus' face when he had first opened the bedroom door was priceless. "S-sorry! I can't h-help it!"

Remus purposefully closed the bedroom door with a snap and rounded on Sirius, a look of complete non-repentance as he heard Harry yelp in pain after getting his fingers shut in the door. "Why does it seem like Harry isn't as surprised about this as he should be, Sirius?" Remus wasn't really as angry as he seemed, but the way Sirius shrunk away and whimpered lightly as he would have in his dog form was enough to make Remus melt. "Aw Padfoot, don't do that! It's ok."

Sirius frowned at his very dog-like reaction. His Animagus tendencies rarely ever showed themselves anymore; it was only in times of fear that they became painfully obvious. "I'm sorry, Rem. He asked me directly," _Lie._ "I told you I wouldn't lie if anyone asked directly, and that included Harry!" He felt slightly guilty for his lie, but he didn't let it show on his face.

"He asked you directly? He came out and said, 'Are you and Remus together?' Or did he just imply his suspicions and you blurted out the truth to him?" Remus knew that Harry had not been so blunt as to just come out and say it; Harry just wasn't that type of person. He felt slight amused at the situation, which was a relief not only to him, but it showed on Sirius' features as well.

"Well...Ok maybe he didn't come out and say it like that, but he was accusing me of sulking because I hated living here. I was really sulking because I missed you. I had to set the record straight, I didn't want Harry thinking I was selfish and sulking because of this house!"

"Which you were, liar. What exactly did you tell him?" Remus' tone was playful enough to show his appreciation of the situation.

Sirius scowled slightly but continued. "Well I actually explained the whole thing to him; how I always protected you and felt differently about you than I did about James and Peter starting in second year when we found out about your 'furry little problem'. I didn't really go into too much detail but I explained the situation well enough and he understood. He said he had already worked it out for himself, the little bugger!" Sirius' smiled, shaking his head lightly. Leave it to Harry to figure things out so easily. Then again, he _was_ James' son.

Remus sighed. "Of course he did, damn him. Harry inherited Lily's subtlety and James' sneaky mind," Remus joked as he got dressed and pulled his shoes on. "I'll be back; I have to report to Dumbledore." He began to move away, but doubled back and kissed Sirius firmly and passionately. "And don't think you're off the hook for my 'welcome home' shag. I fully intend on finishing what we started," he teased huskily before biting Sirius' lip suggestively. He smirked as he caught the lustful look in Sirius' eyes as he pulled away and left the room.

RSRSRSRS

Sirius had fallen into an annoyed sleep as he waited for Remus to return from talking to Dumbledore. It was taking an extremely long time and it certainly ruined Sirius' mood. He jumped slightly in his sleep as he felt the cool touch of Remus' long fingered hands on his bare, warm chest. He opened his eyes and was met with the aroused golden sight of his lover's eyes. He leaned up and kissed Remus, forgetting his tiredness completely.

Remus had been frustrated with the old man as Dumbledore asked him every bleeding detail of his mission. He longed for Sirius, and when Albus had finally released him, he quickly made his way back up to the room and tore off his clothes in a desire-filled haste. He saw that Sirius was asleep, but that didn't matter to him; he wanted Sirius _now_. Whether it was his own sexual impulse or the wolf's, he neither knew nor cared. He slid his tongue against Sirius' and savored the spicy taste as the familiar tingle ripped through his body, making him even hotter than before.

Sirius flipped their positions, straddling Remus and leaning down to kiss and suck on the warm flesh of his lover's neck. His arousal peaked once more as he felt Remus' hands sliding across his back and chest. The feeling sparked a memory way back in the fare recesses of mind as he kissed down Remus' muscular chest...

_"Padfoot...Padfoot are you awake?" Remus whispered as he slipped through the curtain around Sirius' bed. It was Christmas break in their sixth year, and neither one of them had gone home, while James and Peter had left that day to spend Christmas with their families._

_Sirius heard the tentative whisper of his boyfriend's voice and woke up, rolling over to look at Remus. "What's wrong, Moony? 'Nother nightmare?" he asked sleepily as he shifted to make room for Remus and lifted up the covers for him to slide in. _

_Remus shook his head as he crawled in beside Sirius, breathing in his spicy, woodsy smell and smiling lightly. "No, I just thought maybe I'd lay with you tonight since James and Peter aren't here," Remus said quietly as he curled up beside Sirius and wrapped an arm around the Animagus' waist. _

_Sirius smiled and pulled Remus closer to him, kissing his neck lovingly. "You're all cold, Moony," Sirius mumbled into Remus' neck. The werewolf's skin was indeed freezing, as though he had been standing out in the snow for a long time._

_Remus bit his lip and shuddered at the feeling of Sirius' hot breath on his neck. Stupid teenage hormones; couldn't he just lay with Sirius and not be turned on instantly for once? "I took a walk outside for a little bit. I just needed to clear my mind," Remus whispered, running his fingers through Sirius' silky onyx hair. He loved Sirius' hair; it was so soft and elegant no matter what._

_Sirius pulled away lightly and looked at Remus in concern. "Rem, it's freezing cold and there's a blizzard outside! You told me you were going to the library..." Sirius said, slightly hurt that Remus had ditched him, and then lied about where he was going. Remus always seemed to keep stuff from him and it was really starting to worry him._

_Remus frowned and kissed Sirius lightly as an apology. "I did go to the library, love. It's just...The snow reminds me of my mum. I just wanted to see if being out in the snow would help me remember her more..." Remus said quietly as he looked away from Sirius' eyes and instead studied the cute little patch of fuzz on his lover's chin._

_Sirius bit his lip, trying not to frown. He knew Remus hated signs of sympathy, even if they were from his own boyfriend. "And did it?" Sirius moved a piece of golden-brown hair out of Remus' eyes, brushing his fingers through the long silky locks. Remus was starting to warm up now, which made Sirius feel a whole lot better. _

_Remus shook his head very gently. "No...I feel so guilty, Sirius. The older I get, the less I can remember. I don't want to forget her!" He cursed the tears that were beginning to well up in his eyes. He hated Christmas, it always made him think about his mother and how he had lost her so many years ago._

_Sirius was slightly shocked by Remus' sudden show of emotion. He almost never talked about his mother, though Sirius knew that he always became depressed around Christmas time because that's when his mother had died. Sirius had never asked for details, he didn't really want know. He just wanted Remus to be happy. Sirius quickly pulled Remus closer to him, hugging him tightly and kissing the top of his head. "It's not your fault, Remus. Her memory will always be alive in you, her son. You may forget details, but you'll never forget her love," Sirius wasn't great at comforting or reassurances, he said what he thought would help and left it at that. He shivered slightly as he felt Remus' cold hands caressing his bare back and chest._

_"Make me feel, Sirius...Make me feel something other than hurt..." Remus muttered as he touched and felt every inch of Sirius' skin he could reach, kissing his neck and jaw line gently. He just wanted to get lost in Sirius' arms; he didn't want to have to remember his mother anymore that night._

_"You're upset, Remus...I don't want to do something you'll regret later," Sirius said quietly as he could start to feel his body react to Remus' touch. Remus was acting on impulse, asking for something Sirius was sure he wasn't ready for yet._

_"I won't. I won't regret it, Sirius...Please," Remus said as he used his extra strength provided by the wolf to pull Sirius on top of him. He never used his extra strength unless in danger, or desperate. In this case, he was certainly desperate._

_Sirius' heart squeezed tightly in his chest. The desperation he saw in Remus' eyes and heard in his voice was very disconcerting. He couldn't refuse anything to Remus when he used that desperate tone. Sirius had imagined their first time being romantic, happy, not fueled by sadness and hurt. As he kissed and touched Remus he could feel the desperate need for affection turning into hungry lust and let it all continue, knowing very well that he would regret it, even if Remus wouldn't._

_"Are you sure about this, Rem? We don't have to do this if you don't want to..." Sirius whispered after pulling Remus' shirt over his head and tracing a few scars across the werewolf's chest. He had wanted this for a long time, but he wanted to make sure Remus was actually ready._

_Remus smiled lightly at his boyfriend. "I know we don't have to, Sirius. I want to." There was no hesitancy or desperation in his voice now. Remus loved Sirius and was ready to finally show Sirius just how much he loved him. _

_Sirius nodded slowly before leaning down and kissing Remus passionately but still very gently. He wanted this to be special for them, to mean more than just sex. He brushed the honey-brown locks out of Remus' eyes as he smiled lovingly down at him. "You know it's going to hurt at first, right?" Sirius asked, still feeling a little hesitant about the whole situation._

_Remus sighed and nodded. "Yes, I know it's going to hurt at first." he leaned up and bit Sirius' lip teasingly. "But it'll be well worth it..." he whispered with a smirk. Remus knew how to be seductive when he wanted to be. _

_Sirius let a quiet moan escape his lips as Remus nibbled on his bottom lip, driving him wild. "I love you, Moony," Sirius muttered against his lover's lips as he began to slowly pull down Remus' pajama bottoms._

_Remus smiled warmly and helped wriggle himself out of his pants. "I love you too, Padfoot," Remus whispered before letting his head fall back in pure bliss as Sirius reached into the band of his boxers and stroked his hot erection. He had never felt anything so pleasurable in his life._

_Sirius worked his palm over the tip and down the shaft of Remus' erection, loving the soft whimpering and low moans that Remus was making. Remus had never let it go further than touching through clothing; this was a whole new world to Sirius and he loved it. He decided to test how far Remus would let him go; if Remus really wanted this, he wouldn't stop Sirius from doing anything at this point. Sirius proceeded to pull Remus' boxers off as well then threw them aside with a flourish._

_Remus chuckled at Sirius' actions. "You're having way too much fun unclothing me, love. I don't see you letting _me_ strip _you_ down," Remus said with a mischievous grin and a raised eyebrow. Maybe this wouldn't be too hard after all. Remus trusted Sirius, and that's all that mattered._

_Sirius smirked and knelt up, gesturing towards his near-naked body. "By all means, strip me of my boxers, Moony. I'd be honored."_

_Remus laughed and tugged down the waist band of Sirius' boxers, pulling them down until they fell to his knees. Sirius quickly crawled out of them and they joined Remus' clothes on the floor. Remus studied Sirius' olive-toned skin and chiseled muscles and felt his arousal heighten, if possible. "Merlin, you're gorgeous," Remus said with a tad bit of envy in his voice._

_Sirius smiled and leaned down, kissing the many scars running across Remus' chest and stomach. "As are you, Moony. I love your scars. They turn me on like crazy." Sirius traced Remus' navel with his tongue before kissing the scars once more. _

_"Every." _

_Kiss. _

_"Last." _

_Kiss. _

_"One of them."_

_Remus' breath hitched as Sirius kissed lower and lower, making him shudder violently. His hips bucked as Sirius took him into his mouth, licking the tip then dragging his tongue down the rest of the respectable length. "Oh God..." Remus breathed as he clutched the bed sheet for some sort of support._

_Sirius was as much of a virgin as Remus was- with another guy anyways. He let instinct take over and guide him through his task, marveling at how his own erection responded to every whimper, moan, and growl that escaped Remus' lips. It was almost euphoric and he wasn't even the one being pleasured! He could feel Remus squirming, feel the hands woven into his hair, and almost came himself._

_"God, Sirius...I want to feel you," Remus said in a husky whisper as Sirius pulled away and moved back up to kiss Remus on the mouth. He could taste himself on Sirius' tongue and found it strangely erotic and satisfying._

_Sirius kissed Remus for a long time before pulling away and positioning himself between Remus' thighs, feeling the werewolf's legs wrap around his waist. "Tell me if it hurts too much, ok? I'll stop, you just have to tell me when," Sirius said as he leaned over briefly to grab his wand of his bedside table. He did a complicated sort of twirl and a warm lubricant spread over his erection. He had learned the charm a while ago, just in case they should ever need it._

_Remus chuckled. "Well prepared, I see. Don't worry, I'll let you know if I need you to stop. Don't be so nervous, Sirius. I know it's going to hurt, but I'm willing to go through the pain," Remus reassured the Animagus with a smile, the butterflies in his stomach flapping around wildly in anticipation._

_Sirius let out a nervous breath and nodded slowly. He placed his cock right at Remus' entrance, not pushing in quite yet. He leaned down and kissed Remus firmly on the lips before beginning to push excruciatingly slowly into his lover. He felt and heard Remus whimper in pain against his lips and instantly felt horrible. He hesitated, not wanting to hurt Remus anymore._

_Remus clutched onto Sirius' back, his nails digging slightly into his lover's flesh. "Fuck, don't stop. Hurts more if you stop," he said shortly as he tried to clear his mind and push the pain away. He normally had a high pain tolerance for obvious reasons; this was nothing compared to his transformations._

_Sirius felt slightly panicked. He didn't want to hurt Remus, but if he didn't keep going it was only hurting him more. He slowly continued to push into Remus, biting his lip as he felt his lover's nails digging into his back. Once he pushed as far in as he was willing to go, he slowly began to pull back out and push back in, creating an extremely slow rhythm, trying his hardest not to be too rough._

_Remus felt the pain receding and was hit with a wave of pleasure. His breathing quickened and he relented his claw-like grasp on Sirius back, instead placing his hands on either side of Sirius' hips. "I'm not made out of glass, Sirius. You can use a more force than that," Remus instructed through heavy breaths and quiet moans._

_Sirius let out a sigh of relief. He pushed a little harder now, a little faster. He could already feel his climax rising fast as he pumped in and out, the heat and tightness almost too much to handle. He reached up and started stroking Remus' in the same rhythm as his thrusts, feeling the werewolf's climax rising as well. He groaned a deep, guttural sound and thrust in one last time before he came, making his entire body shake._

_Remus let out a noise between a moan and a growl as he came onto Sirius' stomach and chest. Everything seemed to have gone black for a few seconds as he reeled in the aftershocks of his orgasm. He let out a sigh as Sirius pulled out of him all the way, collapsing onto his chest in pool of sweat after cleaning away Remus' mess with a flick of his wand. _

_"Dear God...Why did we wait to do that?" Sirius asked in a muffled voice as he rested his head against Remus' chest, listening to his heart beat through his rib-cage. The dull thumping got slower and slower as Remus' breathing evened out._

_Remus chuckled lazily as he wrapped his arms around Sirius. He closed his eyes, feeling sated and exhausted. "Because we wanted it to be special," Remus reminded Sirius in a whisper._

_Sirius looked up at Remus and gently kissed him on the lips. "Any time with you would have been special, Rem. You're amazing..." Sirius mumbled, laying his head back down on Remus' chest and closing his eyes. It couldn't have been more perfect, and he certainly didn't regret it._

_Remus kissed the top of Sirius' head, running his fingers through the slightly sweaty locks and smiling to himself. "As are you, Padfoot..."..._

Sirius was lying in a similar position, with his head resting on Remus' chest listening to his heart-rate slow down after they had both reached earth-shattering orgasms. He kissed Remus' chest lazily and smiled against the warm, sweaty flesh. "You're amazing, Moony..." he whispered into the darkness.

Remus smiled and kissed Sirius gently on the forehead, wrapping his arms more securely around his lover. "As are you, Padfoot..."

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Make sure everyone goes to my profile and VOTES! I'd appreciate reviews, too. You know you want to…do it…hit the button. Ciao!


	15. Padfoot's Play Day at the Park

**DISCLAIMER: **I wouldn't be sitting in a college food court stressing over homework if I owned HP!

**A/N: **Sorry about the lack of updating-ness…ya. Well college keeps me pretty busy, so it's hard to find time to write and edit and such. Thanks to everyone who has voted so far on the poll on my profile. I will leave it up until the 12th which is this Friday. If you haven't voted yet, go vote! Enjoy.

**WARNING: **None really, just waaaayyy too much cuteness haha.

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**Ch 15.  
Padfoot's Play Day at the Park**

Dumbledore walked into the basement kitchen just as Remus and Sirius pulled away from a kiss. He smiled warmly as he took a seat at the head of the table and watched with an amused expression as both men blushed in identical ways. "I've taken the liberty of having Buckbeak moved from his hiding spot in the Forbidden Forest into the house. I've place him in your mother's room, if that's quite alright," Dumbledore told Sirius with a bit of a cheeky smile.

Sirius laughed and nodded, his blush going down. "Very fitting, Albus. Why couldn't he just stay in the forest? Surely he'd prefer it to staying locked up in this musty old house," Sirius said with a slightly bitter tone.

Dumbledore had a curious look on his face s he studied Sirius for a few seconds. "Of course he would prefer the forest. However, he is a fugitive on the run like you and needed a safe place to stay. Hagrid would have kept him, but Lucius Malfoy is still breathing down the Ministry's neck about the Hippogriff's escape and fears for his safety. This is all fine with you, correct?" Dumbledore asked kindly, though Sirius knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Sirius nodded and sighed. "Of course it's fine. I wanted to ask you something. Harry's hearing is tomorrow, and he's really nervous. He may not admit it, but I can tell. Could there be a possibility of me escorting him to the Ministry as Padfoot, for moral support? I am his godfather, after all. He'll need someone to be there for him," Sirius said with a hopeful sort of smile. Disguised as Padfoot, nothing could go wrong, right?

"I'm sorry Sirius, but there is no way that I would allow you to enter the Ministry with Harry tomorrow. It's much too dangerous for you to be seen, even in Animagus form. Harry will be perfectly fine being escorted by Arthur," Dumbledore said firmly as he cleaned his glasses on his robes. He hated telling Sirius he was not allowed to fulfill his duty as a godfather repeatedly.

"What bloody good is being a godfather when I can't do a _damn_ thing to help my godson? I'm sick of this! Why isn't anyone trying to capture Pettigrew and turn him in so that I can be cleared, eh? Because nobody gives a _damn_ if I'm cleared or not, that's why! I'm _sick_ of this house, I'm sick of the Order, and I'm sick of feeling _useless_!" Sirius shouted as he stood up, kicked his chair roughly and stormed out of the basement kitchen. He felt so worthless, being stuck in this wretched house, unable to do anything for Harry or the Order! He may as well be back in prison for all the good he was doing.

Remus rubbed his temples as he felt a large migraine coming on. Sirius was being completely irrational about the whole situation, but Remus didn't really blame him. Sirius was slowly losing his grip, going crazy due to being stuck in this hell hole of a house. Dumbledore still treated him like a guilty convict, with-holding certain information and not giving Sirius any jobs to do for the Order. It was bothering Remus almost as much as it was Sirius. "He needs to get out of this house for just a little while, Albus...Of course he shouldn't go to the Ministry, but letting him run around outside as Padfoot for a little while might do him some good. He's going crazy," Remus explained sadly to Dumbledore, who was pouring himself some tea.

Molly was bustling about, cleaning up the mess from dinner and washing the dishes. She had her lips pursed and her expression was clearly disapproving; she still did not trust Sirius and thought him out-right irresponsible, to say the least.

Dumbledore sighed before taking a large sip of tea and setting his cup down. "If I permit Sirius to be let out of this house as Padfoot, how will I be sure that he will not try to take off?" Dumbledore asked curiously. He didn't really think Sirius would run off, he was simply curious about Remus' answer.

Remus blinked a few times as if he hadn't heard right. "Sir, Sirius isn't going to run off. He may hate this house but he values his life more. Harry is here, and so am I. He has plenty to stay for, he just needs some fresh air and time away for a little while. I'll make sure he stays close. Please, sir. Just one day," Remus said, surprised at how desperate his own voice sounded. He was truly worried about his lover's sanity and wanted to help.

"Tomorrow after Harry has left, you may take Sirius to the park at the end of this street. He will leave as Padfoot, stay as Padfoot outside, and return as Padfoot. He is not to be in his human form for even a second while outside the safety of Grimmauld Place. You may stay there all day or until Harry comes home from his hearing. Please do not make me regret this, Remus," Dumbledore said with a small smile as he stood to leave.

Remus sighed in relief and nodded. "Of course, sir. Thank you. You won't regret this, I promise," Remus said with a smile as he stood to leave as well.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly as he left, waving lazily at Molly, who had stopped washing dishes long enough to listen to the conversation. She turned to Remus, frowning.

"You're only encouraging his behavior, Remus. If you allow him to venture outside once, he'll want to do it again and again," she said with an obvious air of disapproval as she scrubbed a plate particularly hard.

Remus scowled. "And you're only discouraging his spirit, having a go at him every chance you get. Lighten up, Molly. He's not a bad guy, he's just frustrated. I don't blame him, with the way Dumbledore and the rest of the Order treat him. This is happening to him out of no fault of his own, and he's right. Nobody is trying to catch Pettigrew and set Sirius' record straight because, at this point, nobody cares about anyone but Harry. I understand the importance of protecting Harry, but this just isn't fair to Sirius. He deserves the same freedom that you or I possess and it's driving him mad that he can't have it," Remus said, his anger flaring a bit. He was usually mild-tempered and very polite to Molly, but she was simply barking up the wrong tree. Sirius was one of the only subjects that could set Remus off so easily.

"Well I think Dumbledore is quite right to keep Sirius here. You never know what could happen, he could accidently let himself be seen and then he'd really be in trouble. It's for his own protection, Remus, and neither of you seem to understand that. Sirius is blinded because of the injustice of it all, and you're blinded by your love for him. We're only trying to keep him safe, Remus, that's all," Molly said softly as she finished up the dishes and put them away.

Remus sighed and shook his head slowly. "I do love him, Molly, very much. It's driving me insane that I can do nothing to help him. Please, just cut him some slack, alright?" Remus said quietly. He left the kitchen and walked up to his and Sirius' room, preparing for the rant he was about to receive from his lover. He gave the password and entered the room, watching Sirius pace back and forth for a few seconds before Sirius turned and noticed him.

"This is bloody _ridiculous_! I'm almost to the point where I don't _care_ if I'm captured again, as long as I'm out of this fucking house!" Sirius stopped pacing and tugged at the waist band of his pants. "Look! Look at this! No belt and they're at least _two_ sizes bigger than they were before you resized them! I've gained all my weight back plus some because the only damn exercise I get is walking up and down the fucking stairs and shagging you!" Sirius yelled as he began pacing again.

Remus scoffed, trying to shush Sirius with flapping motions of his hands. "Sirius! Keep your voice down, please! You'll wake all the children up and- "

"And this whole thing with not letting me go with Harry! I'm the closest thing he's got to a parent; I want to be there for him to _support_ him! James and Lily made me his godfather for a reason, and I can't live up to my role with everyone telling me to sit and stay like some _fucking_ lap dog trapped in this _fucking_ house. I can't fucking stand this anymore! _ARGH!_" he punched the wall with all his might, sending his knuckles through the thick dry-wall. He pulled his arm back out to examine his broken and bloody knuckles. It felt good to feel something so raw when he was so very angry at everything and everyone.

Remus moved forward quickly and took hold of Sirius' arms, using his extra strength to keep Sirius from moving and hurting himself any further. "Sirius! Get a hold of yourself! You're only making yourself go crazy _faster_ by stressing yourself out about all of it. You need to calm down_ right now_. I will _not_ allow you to hurt yourself out of frustration," Remus said darkly as his eyes flashed gold, the wolf rising to the surface very easily as his anger was so uncontrolled at the moment.

Sirius had the immediate instinct to back away as Remus' eyes flashed, but was kept from doing so by the strength of Remus' hold on his arms, which was starting to cut the circulation off to his hands. "Remus, please; let go..." he whispered, his voice shaking slightly. He hated being afraid of his lover when he knew Remus had no choice in what he was.

Remus immediately let go and took a step back, running a hand through his hair frustratedly as he cursed. He rubbed his temples again, his head pounding now. "I'm sorry, Sirius...I didn't mean to hurt you, but you're driving _me_ mad with all of this! It's stressing me out so much, and as it's close to the full moon, it's harder to control the wolf. I agree with you, I do, but you have to be rational about it, Sirius." Remus sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over so that his elbows rested on his knees, still rubbing his temples and closing his eyes to try to ward off the migraine.

Sirius sat down beside Remus after healing his hand with his wand, wrapping an arm around the werewolf's waist and pulling him closer. "I'm sorry, Rem. I don't mean to stress you out; I'm just so frustrated with everything right now. I just wish I could get out for a little while," Sirius said quietly as he kissed the top of Remus' head. He had not meant to take any of this out on Remus, but the house at large seemed to be feeling his wrath regardless.

Remus sighed as he sat up and looked at Sirius. "Dumbledore is letting me take you out to the park tomorrow as Padfoot while Harry is away at his trial. I figured it would help you burn off some energy and help take your mind off of Harry while you're galloping around as Padfoot," Remus said with a slight smile. He needed the escape quite as much as Sirius did.

Sirius stared at Remus for a few seconds before tackling him down onto the bed, straddling his waist as he placed wet kisses all over Remus' face and neck. "I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you! You're truly amazing, Moony, I'd die without you!"

Remus laughed and allowed the attack to go on. He smiled and wrapped his arms around Sirius as his face was covered in sloppy kisses. "I love you too, Padfoot. Do you mind shifting a bit, though; you're awfully close to rendering me worthless to you," Remus said with a smirk as Sirius relented the kisses and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position for Remus.

Sirius laughed and leaned down, kissing Remus full on the lips and sliding his tongue in lovingly. He pulled away and smiled down at his lover. "I haven't played fetch in years, you know this right? This is going to be as much a work out for you as it is for me," Sirius said with a devilish grin.

Remus chuckled and smiled warmly at the Animagus. "Yes, I know. I could use it though, and the escape from this house. I love you, Sirius, but this house is truly horrible," Remus said with a slight frown. One of the only reasons he stayed in the house was to keep Sirius from going crazy, but a lot of good that was doing, obviously.

Sirius frowned and nodded. "I know…I hate it. Let's get some rest so I'll actually have some energy to burn tomorrow," Sirius said as he rolled off of Remus and striped himself down to his boxers. He crawled under the blanket and waited for Remus to follow, cuddling up to the werewolf as he too crawled underneath the blanket.

"You keep me sane, Moony..." Sirius whispered against Remus' chest as he closed his eyes.

Remus smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of Sirius head, holding the man close to him. "I think we keep each other sane, Padfoot."

RSRSRSRS

After a very early breakfast and a worried goodbye to Harry, Sirius' cabin fever started to kick in stronger than ever. He kept badgering Remus about when they were going to leave and kept receiving the same unsatisfactory answer.

"We have to wait until Tonks gives us the all-clear, Sirius. Just be patient, it shouldn't be too long now," Remus said for the hundredth time as he drank his third cup of tea. He was just as excited as Sirius, though he didn't make it as obvious as Sirius did with his fidgeting and constant questioning.

the kitchen door opened and in walked Tonks, carrying an invisibility cloak in one hand and a notebook in the other. She yawned widely as she sat down at the table. "Coast is clear, Remus. Make sure he transforms before you even open the door." She didn't look up at Remus a single time as she graciously accepted the cup of tea Molly was handing her and examining the notebook.

"Thank you, Tonks. If we're not back by the time Harry arrives, would you mind coming to get us?" Remus asked very politely. He still treaded on thin ice when it came to Tonks; she had not gotten over his recent outburst at her.

Tonks looked up and studied Remus for a second before letting her face break out in a small smile. She nodded. "Of course I will. Have fun," she said with a lazy wave as she focused her attention back on her notebook.

Sirius bolted out of the kitchen and up the stairs, only controlling himself long enough to walk quickly down the hall away from his mother's portrait and stand at the front door waiting for Remus, who was following at a much slower pace.

Remus laughed softly as he caught up to Sirius. He pulled Sirius close to him and gave him a deep kiss 

before pulling out his wand and stepping back. "Time to become Padfoot, love," Remus said with a smile before tapping the door to unlock the many bolts and chains.

Sirius closed his eyes and in only a few seconds, he was in his Animagus form as Padfoot. He looked up at Remus, wagging his tail and hanging his tongue out the side of his mouth in a doggy grin.

Remus laughed again. "You're too much, Padfoot. As much as I know you want to just run off, please stay close to my side until we get to the park, alright? The last thing I need is you running into the middle of the road and getting hit by a car," Remus said his heart pounding with worry now.

Padfoot gave a whine of understanding before scratching lightly at the door. He could barely contain his excitement and Remus was simply taking much too long.

Remus smiled and finally opened the door, the sun light blinding him for a split second before he walked down the steps. He laughed as Padfoot ran out and started chasing his tail in the middle of the yard before giving a joyous bark and galloping over to Remus' side. "Good boy," Remus said in a patronizing voice. He knew Sirius hated being talked to like that when he was in his Animagus form.

Remus walked casually down the street, ignoring Padfoots' impatient barks and laughing as he chased a group of pigeons away. Sirius was obviously enjoying himself, which made Remus extremely happy. As they reached the park, Remus picked up a rather large stick and threw it as hard as he could out into the grassy field next to the park. He watched Padfoot bound across the field and grab the stick, throwing it up into the air and catching it again, his tail wagging madly as he trotted back over to Remus and spit the stick out at his feet.

They continued on like this, Sirius occasionally chasing a cat or two as a detour on the way to fetching the stick. Remus watched as Padfoot chased his own tail, hiked his leg on a couple of trees, and dug various holes. Remus threw the stick one more time and chuckled as Padfoot rolled head over bottom in his speedy attempt to fetch the stick. On the last throw, Sirius didn't bring the stick back, but sat with it hanging in his mouth as if waiting for Remus to come join him.

Remus made his way over to the large, black dog and sighed. "Padfoot, what are you- " as he got within ten feet of the dog, Sirius bounded forward and tackled Remus to the ground, licking his face and waging his tail as Remus giggled and let Padfoot slobber all over him. The sun became blocked, making Remus look up from the licking-attack. Tonks was standing over him, an amused grin on her face as she watched Sirius lick Remus' face.

"I've just received a letter from Dumbledore. Harry will be back soon, Albus wants you two back at the house when Harry arrives," she said with a smirk. It was actually kind of cute, watching Padfoot affectionately lick Remus', his tail going crazy to show his pleasure.

Remus managed to push the large, shaggy dog off of himself and stood up, brushing the dirt off his muggle jacket. He blushed slightly as Padfoot growled lowly at Tonks. "Shut it, mutt," Remus whispered as he nudged Sirius in the hind-quarters. "Thanks, Tonks. We'll start heading back then in a few minutes," Remus said, making it plainly obvious that he did not want Tonks' company on the walk home.

Tonks continued to smirk as she shook her head lightly; she could take a hint. She waved before making the trip back to Headquarters alone. Tonks couldn't help but feel happy for Remus and Sirius after seeing how care-free they seemed in the park.

Remus knelt down and pet Padfoot with a smile. He scratched behind his big, pointy ears and laughed at the expression of pure bliss on Sirius' doggy face. "I'm glad you had fun, Padfoot. Unfortunately, it's time to return to the hell hole we call home," Remus said quietly with a sigh.

Padfoot whimpered slightly as he licked at Remus' hand. He really didn't want to go home, but he knew he had to. Besides, Harry was going to be home soon and he was anxious to find out what the verdict was. It couldn't be too bad if they were letting him come home, right? Remus had been right, he hadn't worried about Harry all day as Padfoot, but now that he was reminded, his worry came back ten-fold. He stood up and barked before trotting back towards his house.

Remus stood up and followed closely behind Padfoot, looking around as he went with his hand on the handle of his wand in the inside pocket of his jacket. They made it back fairly quickly with no sightings of anyone else around. Remus tapped the door with his wand to unlock it, allowing Padfoot to run in ahead of him. Once inside, he was quickly wrapped in a tight hug by a human Sirius. "Oh Merlin, Sirius. You smell like sweaty dog," Remus said jokingly as he hugged his lover back, though he really didn't smell too pleasant.

Sirius laughed as he kissed Remus' neck. "Thank you, Remus...I really needed that. I think I'll go shower before Harry gets here," Sirius said with a smile and a quick kiss as he pulled away and headed up the stairs towards his bedroom.

Remus watched him go, smiling to himself. He could sense someone in the darkness at the end of the hallway, watching him steadily. He tried to ignore it at first, but it became insistently annoying. He turned and caught a glimpse of spiky pink hair disappearing through the door leading down into the basement kitchen.

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**A/N: **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was a bit short, but I just didn't know what else to add. Sorry for all the short chapters lately. I'll try to make them longer. I'm working on chapter 18 now, so I'll try to make it longer than these last couple. Please review and remember to vote! Ciao!


	16. Imagine

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own HP, or the words to the song in this chapter! The Lyrics belong to John Lennon!

**A/N:** Well this chapter is a bit short as well, but I had intended it to be longer. I switched up some of the chapters and changed parts to make everything make a little bit more sense. I hope you all like it anyways. I have a very important question: **Would you all hate me terribly if I threw the poll out and made the decision about the ending on my own?** I'm still not 100 sure on how to end this story, and I'd like to keep my options open and just see where the story takes me. Let me know in a review or message! Enjoy!

**WARNING:** Lot and lots of cussing. Very angry people curse a lot haha.

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**Ch 16.  
Imagine**

Sirius shook his hand; he smiled, and clapped him on the back with a loud bought of laughter. Remus seemed to be the only one who noticed that Sirius' jovial congratulations to Harry on getting off on his Ministry hearing was completely and utterly fake. It was very disconcerting to Remus, and he ached to get Sirius alone to talk with him about it. He got his chance once Sirius claimed that he was going to bed and decided to follow him.

"Padfoot, are you alright?" Remus asked as he closed their bedroom door and walked over to the bed, where Sirius was sitting staring at the wall opposite.

"I feel horrible, Moony. I want to be happy for him, I want to be glad he's going back to Hogwarts, but I'm not. Deep down I wanted him to be expelled and exiled from the wizarding world, just like me. What's wrong with me Remus?" Sirius said quietly as he turned his pained eyes onto his lover.

Remus frowned and sat down beside Sirius, pulling the Animagus into a hug and kissing his forehead. "There's nothing wrong with you, Sirius. It's perfectly natural to want someone to share your pain. You know that it's only right that Harry continues going to Hogwarts in your mind. In your heart, you simply want him here to keep you company. There's nothing wrong with that, Sirius, but you know you can't have it that way," Remus tried to explain as simply as he could, trying not to mix his own emotions into the situation. It wasn't his place to interject his opinions into Sirius' heart-break and confused longings.

"I shouldn't want Harry to be miserable with me, Remus. No one should have to stay here and watch me go slowly insane, but I still make you stay here with me. I'm surprised you haven't left me yet..."

Remus pulled away from Sirius, highly hurt by Sirius' words. "Do you really think that low of me, Sirius? Do you honestly think I would just give up on you and leave?" Remus asked in a hurt whisper.

Sirius frowned and looked away from Remus, fighting back the tears that seemed to so easily spring forth to his eyes. "I don't think low of you at all, Remus. I just don't know how you stand me anymore..." Sirius muttered through his tears. He hated himself so much right now, for hurting Remus, for wanting Harry to hurt like him. He was broken and nothing seemed to be able to fix him, not even Remus.

"Sirius, every time I say I love you, I fall a little bit more in love with you. Every time I curl up next to you in bed, I thank God that I have you back again. Every time I'm away from you I nearly lose my mind in the agony of missing you and wondering if you're alright by yourself. And every time I see you smile, or hear 

you laugh, I remember how we used to be and everything feels right again. I don't stay here with you because I feel obligated, Sirius. I love you with everything I am and I never want to be without you again. Why can't you see that? I just want you, Sirius." Remus had tears streaming down his cheeks as he grabbed for Sirius' hand and entwined their fingers.

"I'm sorry, Moony...I'm sorry. I love you too," Sirius sobbed as he threw his arms around Remus and pulled him into a rib cracking hug. He sobbed into the werewolf's shoulder repeating 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

Remus truly feared for Sirius' sanity right then and there and vowed not to take a mission lasting longer than a couple of days ever again. He could not leave Sirius in this emotionally handicapped state, especially since Harry and the other children would be returning to Hogwarts soon, leaving Sirius truly and completely alone.

RSRSRSRS

Sirius was laying in bed, an old and slightly dicoloured picture clutched in his hand. It was the very first picture the four Marauders had taken together. It marked not only that milestone, but one of a much greater kind…

"_Are you ok?"_

"_Yeah, I'm f-fine." Remus was shaking violently, making it extremely hard to hold his quill steady. He tried not to look at Sirius, who was standing over him with a worried sort of expression._

"_You're working on that Defense essay already? We were just assigned that an hour ago!" Sirius said as he plopped down beside Remus on the couch. "You work too hard for a second year, mate."_

_Remus scribbled out a misspelled word and bit his lip as the aching in his muscles increased. "I like to get my homework out of the way early," he said in a shaky voice. The truth was that Remus would be out of commission, so to speak, for the next couple of days so he wanted to get it done before hand and turn it in early._

_Sirius frowned as he looked at the pale and shaking boy. "Are you sure you're alright, mate? You're not looking too good," Sirius said as he raised a hand and felt Remus' forehead; it was on fire! He had only known Remus for a little over a year now, and he was not normally a compassionate person, but whenever he was around the smaller boy, Sirius felt like he needed to protect him for some reason, to make sure he was ok._

_Remus sat down his quill and parchment and took a deep breath. "I think I'll just go down to the hospital wing and ask for a fever reducing potion," Remus said as he tried to stand up. He stumbled and nearly fell into Sirius' lap, his face going even paler than before. Apparently standing up wasn't such a good idea._

_Sirius quickly grabbed Remus by the shoulders and held him up. "Merlin! Remus, what's wrong? I'm going to take you to the hospital wing." Sirius stood up and wrapped an arm around Remus' waist, trying to pull him towards the portrait hole._

"_I'm fine, Sirius, really. I'll go by myself," Remus insisted as he attempted to regain his balance; he was failing miserably._

_Though they had only known each other for a little over a year, Remus and Sirius had formed a fairly close friendship. Of course James and Sirius had become instant best friends due to their shared love of pranks, but Remus' friendship with Sirius was different; it was – special._

"_Bollocks! You're in a right state, Rem. Let me help you," Sirius said as he still supported Remus' weight._

_Remus couldn't help but smile at the sound of Sirius calling him 'Rem'. He'd never been given a nickname before and he liked the sound of it._

_Sirius stopped trying to pull Remus along and studied him with narrowed eyes. "What are you smirking at? Are you really ill or are you just faking it to make me look like an arse?" Sirius frowned as Remus leaned against his chest for support._

_Remus let out a soft giggle as he tried to pull himself away from Sirius. "I'm not faking. You called me 'Rem'," Remus said with a shy smile._

_Sirius raised an eyebrow in confusion. "So? Am I not allowed to give you a nickname?" Sirius asked with a smile of his own._

"_No, nicknames are good. I've never had one before," Remus admitted with a small blush. He was pushing it now; the longer he stayed there with Sirius, the less time he had to get to the shack before moon rise._

_Sirius chuckled and pat Remus affectionately on the back. "You like nicknames, eh? I'll be sure to come up with some more for you, then."_

_Remus smiled as he finally managed to support his own weight. "You do that. I'm going to see if Madam Pomfrey can break this fever. See you later," Remus said as he headed towards the portrait hole again."_

_Sirius couldn't help but feel that nagging worry rise in his chest as he watched Remus walk away. "Yeah, alright. Take care of yourself, Rem," Sirius said quietly as Remus opened the portrait hole._

_Remus smiled at Sirius and gave a lazy wave. "I will. Thanks, Sirius," he said as he left and closed the portrait behind him._

_Sirius sighed deeply as he shuffled back over to the couch and plopped down on it. He shifted and pulled Remus' essay out from under him. He smiled as he read the title;_

'_Werewolf Identification'_

_He read the first paragraph, his smile fading as he got further down the page. He quickly rolled up the essay and set it aside with shaking hands. There was a commotion at the portrait hole, making Sirius jump violently._

"_Oh come on, Evans! His hair will go back to its natural, greasy colour by tomorrow night!" James yelled as he tried to follow Lily Evans up the stairs to the girl's dorms._

"_You disgust me, Potter! Severus didn't do _anything_ to you! You're just a big – a big bully!" Lily screamed before stomping up the stairs and slamming the door to her room._

"_She totally fancies me. Did you hear the way she said 'Potter', Sirius?" James vaulted over the back of the couch and squeezed himself beside Sirius. He squinted suspiciously at Sirius. "What's wrong, mate?"_

"_James…I think I know why Remus gets sick so much," Sirius said slowly as he swallowed the lump in his throat._

"_What do you mean? He told us he had a weak immune system because of that muggle disease called Amenia or something last year," James said with a stifled yawn._

"_It's Anemia, James." Sirius picked up the scrolled essay and handed it to James. "Just read this. It's Remus' Defense essay," he said with a frown._

_James sighed exasperatedly and unrolled the parchment. His reaction was similar to Sirius'. "Merlin…Do you know what this means? Remus is a – "_

"_Shhh! Be quiet, James! Look, this doesn't change anything, right? Remus is still our friend no matter what, right?"_

"_Why wouldn't Remus be our friend? Oh don't tell me I missed something important again!" Peter sat down in arm chair across from the couch after walking in the portrait hole carrying a large bag of sweets._

"_Remus is a werewolf," James said offhandedly, not even sparing a glance for the plump boy. "Of course Remus is our friend no matter what, but this is _big_ Sirius! He's a dark creature, this isn't something you can just hide and hope nobody notices. What are we going to do?" James asked in a worried tone._

"_Where is Remus anyways?" Peter asked as he looked around the common room for any sign of the smaller boy._

_Sirius jumped over the back of the couch and ran over to the high ceilinged window on the other side of the common room. "That's why he was so sick today. It's the full moon tonight," Sirius said in a whisper as he pointed at the bright and swollen moon rising from behind the clouds._

_All three boys stood staring out at the full moon, marveling in the terror of what they had just discovered about one of their roommates and friends. _

"_Well I'm saying this much for myself; I don't care if Remus is a dark creature, he's still my friend. I hope you two say the same thing. Remus didn't choose to be a – well, you know. You shouldn't judge him for it," Sirius said in a firm voice, his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw set. He was very intimidating for a twelve-year-old. _

"_You're right, Sirius. Remus didn't ask to be a were – er, you know. I'm staying his friend," James said with a warm smile. Through all of his pranks and misbehavior, he really did have a big heart._

"_Peter?" Sirius turned to stare at Peter with a fierce intensity._

_Peter coward under Sirius' gaze. He nodded quickly, his body trembling slightly. "Yeah, sure; I'll still be his friend," Peter said with a nervous smile that didn't quite reach his eyes._

_Sirius smiled and threw his arms around James' and Peter's shoulders. "Good. He really needs his friends to get through this," Sirius sighed._

"_Yeah, but he'll always have to do this, with or without us," James said quietly. It was a very depressing thought indeed. _

"_He'll never be without me." Sirius sat on the ledge of the window, staring out at the innocent looking moon. He wondered how Remus was doing and tried not to imagine the snarling wolf instead of his kindly best friend._

RSRSRSRS

"No, Albus. I will not leave Sirius for that long." Remus was pushing a map and folder full of parchment back towards Dumbledore.

"Remus, my friend, you know very well that you are the only one who can do this mission. I know Sirius gets very lonely when you are gone, but this is a very important mission. You've made so much headway with the Clan so far, you mustn't give up now," Dumbledore said quietly as he ignored the map and folder being shoved back at him.

"I've 'made headway'? Albus, I've nearly been killed by the Head of the Clan four times. You've been here three of the four times when they brought my bloody and torn up body in. How can you possibly call that a success? It is a lost cause! It is perfectly clear they want nothing to do with either side!" Remus was losing his temper now, which didn't happen very often or easily.

"By keeping up with these efforts of persuasion, you are ensuring that they at least stay neutral! As long as they know we still give our support, they know they can always turn the Order for help! You've heard the freedoms and rights He's promising the werewolves, Remus. You cannot deny that these wonderful promises have struck a chord in your own heart. Even though you know these things will never actually happen, they sound wonderful! Think of how the Clans of werewolves, who have lived much less blessed lives than you have, feel about those promises. It is so very tempting, despite the fact that it's obvious that they are empty promises. These missions are vital to keeping the Clans at bay, keeping them from believing those lies. The London Clan is the biggest in all of Europe. You cannot abandon these efforts now." Dumbledore stood up from the table and smoothed out his robes. "You will take the mission and you will stay as long as needed. It is your obligation to the Order."

Remus slammed his fist on the table, making the wood crack and splinter. "I am _not _obligated to do anything for the Order, Dumbledore! I volunteer to help for the good of the Light, but I will be your puppet no more! I will no longer serve as your ready-made werewolf missionary. Until Sirius Black can freely walk these streets, you can consider my participation in the Order withdrawn," Remus hissed as he stood up. He kicked his chair out of his way and left the basement kitchen feeling angrier than he could ever remember feeling before.

Dumbledore shook his head solemnly as he gathered the map and scattered parchment. He knew what it was like to be so deeply in love that you would do extremely foolish things to hold on to such love. He had been much younger than Remus, but not any less in deep, meaningful love. Damning Gellert to the hell of his own prison was the hardest thing Albus had ever done. Remus was figuratively in the same difficult situation.

Molly walked into the kitchen clutching at her chest and looking extremely worried. "What happened, Albus? Remus just ran past crying his eyes out and yelling for Sirius!" Molly said in a shocked voice. She had never seen Remus lose control like that before.

"Mr. Lupin is realizing the hardships of his kind. You will please give these documents to Remus once he has calmed down. Please also pass along this message; he will go on this mission, but not because he is obligated to by the Order. No, he will go as a favor to the man who kept him from turning into a Clan member similar to the ones he is trying to persuade and help. Good day, Molly."

Dumbledore left without another word or second glance, leaving Molly in a stunned silence, holding the mission papers loosely in her hands.

RSRSRSRS

"_Sirius!"_

"Merlin's beard, Remus! What's wrong?" Sirius was vaulting down the stairs, running towards Remus and casting a silencing charm on his mother's portrait before she could even make a noise.

Remus dove into Sirius' arms without caring who saw or heard. "I quit, I give up," he sobbed into the crook of his lover's neck.

Sirius held Remus close, stroking his hair. "Shh, Moony. Come up to our room and we'll talk," Sirius insisted as he pulled Remus towards the stairs.

Once safely upstairs in their room, Remus broke down completely, falling to his knees and clutching his hair. He looked quite deranged. "You were right, Sirius! He's using my curse as a luxury and I'm _sick_ of it!"

Sirius kneeled down in front of Remus and pulled his hands away from his hair. He had never seen Remus so upset and frankly, he didn't quite know what to do. "Remus, please, just calm down and tell me what happened," Sirius said quietly as he pulled the werewolf into his arms.

Remus leaned against Sirius' chest, losing all will of independent support. "He tried to send me on a month long mission with the London Clan. I told him I wouldn't leave you here alone for that long and he told me I was _obligated_ to do this mission for the Order. I refused and told him I wouldn't play his puppet anymore and I'm no longer a participant in the Order so long as you remain locked in this God forsaken house as a convict. I'm so _sick_ of him treating you like a convict and trying to guilt trip me into ridiculous and pointless missions. I just want to be with you, Sirius. Where's our happily fucking ever after, eh? I'm tired of fighting and enduring so much pain when it's all in vain. I'm not a selfish person, I never stop to think about myself, but I care this time! I want out! _Damn_ it, Sirius, I'm sick and fucking tired of caring so God damn much when no one gives a _fuck_ about me! 'Send Remus on the werewolf missions because he's already damned and cursed. Who gives a fuck about how he feels and how much he fucking hates himself for being what he is.' Nobody fucking cares, Sirius, because that's all I am; an advocate for the blood-thirsty beasts I call my brothers. I have no other use, no other purpose…" Remus' voice trailed off as his rant lost steam and turned back into angry and bitter tears.

Sirius just held Remus and let him yell and cry, his own tears streaming down his cheeks. He knew Remus had a breaking point and he had finally cracked. What really hit Sirius was the partial truthfulness of Remus' words. Where _was_ their happily ever-after? Hadn't they suffered and fought enough for the cause? When would they get a break from this hell they called life?

"_Imagine there's no heaven, It's easy if you try. No hell below us, Above us only sky. Imagine all the people, Living for today._" Sirius sang softly as he stroked Remus' hair and held him close.

Remus curled up closer against Sirius' chest as he sang. _Imagine_ was his favourite muggle song; he had told Sirius about it many years ago. Sirius had never sung it to him before. He started to sing along with Sirius, despite his cracky and tear laced voice.

"_Imagine there's no countries, It's isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too. Imagine all the people, Living life in peace. You, you may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you will join us, And the world will be as one…"_

* * *

**A/N:** Ah yes, cheesy ending with a cliché song; don't you love it? Sorry about the sort of crappy chapter, but the next couple of chapters are better! Please, PLEASE review and let me know what you think! Ciao!


	17. Forever Indebted

**DISCLAIMER:** Nope, still don't own anything. Damn.

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been in a block with this story for a while, so I didn't want to post this chapter without having at least two more after it finished. I have 18 finished and 19 almost done, so I think it's time to post. I'm losing steam here; I'm not sure where to end it, so I'm not sure where I'm going anymore. I need more feedback! Don't worry, I WILL finish this story no matter what, it just may take me a while lol. Well, enjoy this chapter anyways!

P.S. Another reason I haven't had time to write is because my sister-in-law gave birth to my first nephew on tuesday! He's the cutest thing ever! I was at the hospital with her for more than 24 hours of labor, so I'm a bit sleep deprived lol.

**WARNING: ** Smut (yay!), cussing, and lots of angst.

* * *

**Ch 17.  
Forever Indebted**

Sirius loved watching Remus sleep.

Sleep is the rawest form of being. There's no shields to hide behind, no walls to put up. You're just simply there, unconscious to the world around you. It's the closest you can be to Nirvana.

You can also tell a lot about a person by the way they sleep. A light sleeper tends to be someone who is easily distracted or short tempered. Someone who tosses and turns a lot are indecisive and tend to feel very uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations, they get lost easily.

Now a deep, peaceful sleeper is the hardest to categorize. Deep sleepers can be people with very in-depth thought processes. They spend a lot of time thinking things through thoroughly before taking any sort of action. A deep sleeper may also be someone with a high temperament; peaceful and level-headed. But a deep sleeper may also be a deeply troubled person. Stress, worry, hurt, pain, fear, discomfort; these things may trouble someone so much that their body and mind physically shut down almost completely to escape the rampant chaos of emotions. Sleep is their only escape from life.

Remus was a deep sleeper. He almost always woke up in the same position he had fallen asleep in, and it took nothing short of nuclear war to wake him up. One thing Sirius noticed, however, was Remus always had the faintest of smiles playing on his lips when he slept. No matter if he had a really shitty day or a fantastic day, he always had that small smile on his face. That smile spoke a thousand words to Sirius. He sometimes spent hours watching Remus sleep just to see that true, peaceful smile on his usually care-worn and worried face. Sirius dreaded when that smile would fade as consciousness took over and Remus woke up. But then he would blink and spot Sirius smiling back at him, and that smile would light up his sleepy and adorable face once more.

"_You were watching me sleep again, weren't you?" Remus teased before giving a large yawn. _

_Sirius' smile became wider. "What makes you think that? I could have just woken up too you know," Sirius teased back as he ran a hand through Remus' golden-brown locks._

"_Oh, just that stupid, adorably goofy grin plastered to your face; and the fact that I could sense you staring at me. Just one of the many wonders of being a werewolf." The smile was now replaced with a frown and a look of deep resentment in Remus' eyes._

_Sirius sighed and leaned in to place a soft and tender kiss on his lover's lips. "I love watching you sleep. It's the best part of my day," Sirius whispered against Remus' lips._

_Remus chuckled lightly. "How poetic, Sirius. You're such a ponce, love. I find it hard to believe that I missed it before fifth year," Remus said with a smirk._

"_Bite me, Lupin," Sirius said with narrowed eyes and a slight smirk of his own._

_Remus used his extra strength and quick reflexes to straddle Sirius' hips and lean down to nip at his neck before Sirius could even react. "Careful what you wish for, Black," Remus breathed huskily against Sirius' neck._

_Sirius let out a soft moan at the sharp nip of teeth and hot, ragged breath. "Who's the ponce now, eh?" Sirius teased in a whisper._

_Remus rolled his hips against Sirius just to hear him moan again. It sent shivers down his spine and heat straight to his growing erection. "If this is what I get for being a ponce, then I'm fucking proud to be one," Remus whispered in Sirius' ear before licking the shell, then nibbling on the lobe._

_Sirius let out a much louder moan this time, pushing his hardness against Remus' thigh as he bit his lip. "Mmm, Moony. I want to taste you," Sirius whispered._

_Remus shook his head and moved so that he was now between Sirius' legs. "No, it should be ladies first," Remus smirked as he toyed with the waist band of Sirius' boxers._

_Sirius cocked an eyebrow and looked down at Remus, who was licking his lips seductively. Sirius quickly sat up and pushed Remus forcefully back on the bed, crawling hastily on top of the werewolf and straddling his hips. "Never call me a lady," Sirius said as he stared in Remus' gold, passion filled eyes. _

_Sirius leaned down and kissed Remus firmly on the lips, then trailed kisses down his jaw, neck, chest, and stomach, He pulled down Remus' boxers roughly and grasped his lover's pulsing cock in his hand, pumping slowly and savoring the sound of Remus' raw moans. With one last devilish smirk, he leaned down and took Remus' full length into his mouth, licking and sucking hungrily._

_Remus bucked his hips and grasped Sirius' hair as he was plunged into pure bliss. "Oh fuck, Sirius!" he gasped as he arched his back in pleasure._

_Sirius worked diligently at his job, licking, sucking, and sometimes even nibbling lightly on the werewolf's cock. He didn't stop even as he felt Remus' body tense and heard the unmistakable sounds of his lover's climax taking over._

_Remus grunted a deep, animalistic grunt and thrust himself into Sirius' mouth as he came fast and hard. He rode the waves of ecstasy that followed before pulling Sirius up and kissing him deeply, sliding his tongue against his lover's and tasting his own exotic flavor. "I love you…" he said in a breathy and tired voice. _

_Sirius smirked and kissed Remus again. "I love you too, Moony. Don't tell me you're tired already, because I'm not even close to done with you," Sirius said in a husky voice. _

_Remus chuckled and flipped their positions quickly. "Oh no, I'm not nearly done with you either," Remus said before kissing his way down Sirius' chest and stomach. He tugged down Sirius' boxers and immediately took Sirius into his mouth._

_Sirius moaned and pushed his hips up to meet the rhythm of Remus' mouth. "Oh God, Remmy!" he groaned as Remus sucked even harder._

_Remus moved his hand down and found the little puckered ring of Sirius' entrance. He teased Sirius for a little while with little brushes of pressure before pressing his finger in. Remus eased his finger slowly in, looking for the magic spot that drove Sirius wild. He knew he had found it when Sirius' whole body spasmed and he let out an unmanly squeak of pleasure._

"_Holy shit, Remus! Don't stop!" Sirius moaned as Remus hit that sweet spot again and while still keeping plenty of attention on his burning cock. With a strangled yell of pleasure, Sirius came spectacularly in his lover's mouth, his whole body going rigid and his vision going temporarily blank. "Dear God, Remus. I have to let you be on top more often. If you can do that with just your finger, I can only imagine what you could do with your cock," Sirius panted as Remus lay down against him, trailing soft kisses across his chest._

"_I'd be glad to oblige, Padfoot. However, I'm currently starving. Breakfast first, amazing sex later," Remus said as he quickly got out of bed and stretched._

_Sirius laughed and got out of bed as well. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Remus' waist. "Does that mean I get to keep you in bed all day?" Sirius asked before placing a soft kiss on his lover's bare shoulder. _

"_As long as you give me breaks for food, I'll stay in bed with you forever," Remus said softly as he turned to face Sirius. He kissed the Animagus firmly and lovingly on the lips._

_Sirius laughed against Remus' lips. "Sounds like the perfect day to me."_

_It was the perfect life for two twenty-year-old men who were madly in love._

RSRSRSRS

It was September first already. Remus had accompanied the children to the train station, as well as Sirius disguised as Padfoot. When they returned to Grimmauld Place, Molly handed Remus the map and folder of parchment, explaining what Dumbledore had said to her.

"I'm just the messenger, Remus, but this does sound extremely important. I'd give it some serious thought," Molly said before leaving the two men alone in the kitchen.

"I can't believe Dumbledore would use his favor to you against you like that…There's something very different about him. He's not the same jolly old wizard that headed Hogwarts in our day. You know Harry has actually come to me and told me that Dumbledore won't look him in the eyes? He didn't even stay to congratulate Harry after his hearing! I don't think you should go." Sirius was sitting beside Remus at the kitchen table, swirling around the dregs of tea leaves in the bottom of his cup.

Remus sighed and drained his own cup of tea. "He's right though, Sirius. He's done so much for me, I owe this to him," Remus said quietly as he glared at the map and folder of parchment.

Sirius scoffed and shook his head. "You don't owe him anything, Remus! When he accepted you to Hogwarts and met with your parents to make arrangements for you, did you sign a contract saying that you were forever in debt to him?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Remus shook his head and smiled sadly at Sirius. "I didn't need to, Sirius. I do owe him for giving me the opportunity to go to Hogwarts. I am forever in debt to him, no matter what I do," Remus said as he ran a hand through his graying, golden hair.

Sirius huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't think you owe him anything, Moony. He should never have used that against you and you're just playing into his hands to fall into the trap. You can't let him walk all over you like that." If Sirius had been trying to mimic Molly's disapproving expression, he was succeeding spectacularly; his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed.

Remus studied Sirius carefully, noticing just how upset he seemed about the whole situation. "Sirius, are you mad because of what Dumbledore said, or because I have to leave you again?"

Sirius frowned and let his arms drop back to his sides. He leaned to the side and laid his head gently on Remus' shoulder, pouting slightly.

"I guess it's a little bit of both. Dumbledore is being very unfair about this whole thing, and I don't want you to leave for an entire month. I'm going to lose it, Moony, I just know it," Sirius whispered sadly. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle not having Remus by his side for an entire month. The stress of worrying about the werewolf would drive him crazy alone, not to mention how awfully much he would miss his lover and best friend.

"Well we've gone through worse. You know, twelve years of being apart and everything," Remus teased lightly as he wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist and pulled him into a sort of half-hug.

Sirius scowled slightly at Remus and smacked his leg playfully. "Not funny, Wolf Man," he said with a smirk. He knew Remus hated being compared to werewolf symbolism. "Please don't go Moony...I need you." Sirius nuzzled Remus' neck, frowning deeply and feeling dangerously close to tears.

Remus sighed and snuggled closer to Sirius, kissing the top of his head. "Please don't do this, Sirius. I'm sorry, but I have to go. I really don't want to but I really should do it. Dumbledore is right; I can't just give up now," Remus said quietly, feeling close to tears himself.

Sirius couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Something felt so different about this parting of ways, almost as if it would be their last. The thought made Sirius' heart stop and he clung closer to Remus, the tears running down his cheeks and soaking into Remus' robes.

Remus felt his heart shatter as he heard the unmistakable sounds of Sirius crying, feeling the tear drops soaking into the fabric on his shoulder. Sirius had never been so emotional about Remus leaving on a mission before; he could tell Sirius was worried more than ever that Remus wouldn't be coming home. Tears began to slide down Remus' cheeks and drip into his lap. "Please, Sirius, don't make this any harder than it already is...I can't promise you I'll be back on time or at all; I'm not even sure of that. I want you to promise me that you'll take care of yourself though, no matter what happens. Promise me..." Remus pulled Sirius' face up so that he could look into his teary gray eyes.

Sirius sniffled and bit his lip as Remus looked into his eyes, seeing straight into his core, his entire being. That gaze was so intense, so calculating and beautiful. His fear of never seeing those eyes again made him cry even harder. "I can't promise because I don't want to disappoint you if I can't do it. I'll try my hardest, Remmy...No guarantees," Sirius said in a croaky and tear laced voice. "You have to come back; you can't leave me here alone forever."

Remus choked back a sob at Sirius' pleading. It broke his heart even further to hear so much pain and anguish in Sirius' voice. "I'll try not to, ok? I will do everything I can to make sure I come back to you," Remus checked his watch and felt the familiar sense of dread fill his stomach like hot bubbling acid. "It's almost time...I need to get my bag from upstairs before Dumbledore gives the ok to leave. Come on, you can walk me out." Remus disentangled himself from Sirius long enough to stand up and pull Sirius to his feet. He wrapped his arms tightly around his lover, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

Sirius cried into Remus' shoulder, clutching onto the werewolf for dear life. "You better come back, Remus John Lupin. So help me I will go looking for you if I have to," Sirius whispered into Remus' shoulder.

Remus smiled sadly and lifted Sirius' face by the chin. He leaned down and kissed him deeply, putting as much emotion into the kiss as he could. "I love you, Sirius."

Sirius kissed Remus back, letting a hand run through his silky golden hair. "I love you too, Remus."

There was a bright flash of light and a golden and crimson feather floated to the ground before catching fire and burning into ashes.

Remus sighed heavily as he watched the feather burn."That's Dumbledore's cue to leave...Come on, walk me up."

They both walked out of the kitchen, up the steep staircase, and into the main entrance hall. Remus summoned his small duffel bag from their room and turned back towards Sirius, who had dissolved in tears and was holding Remus' hand so tightly he could no longer feel his fingers. "Sirius, please..."

Sirius pulled Remus into a tight hug, squeezing a little harder than was needed for comfort. "Be careful and come home in one piece or I'll kill you," Sirius choked.

Remus gave a watery chuckle and hugged Sirius back. He kissed him gently on the top of the head and reluctantly pulled himself away from Sirius' grasp. Remus pulled out his wand and tapped the door, the metallic sounds of unlocking filling the hall. The door creaked open and a chink of the setting sun could be seen through the small gap.

"I guess I'll see you in a month then..." Remus whispered as he tried not to look at the heart-breaking expression on Sirius' face. He kissed Sirius one last time and quickly made his way out the door before he could change his mind. Once the door was closed, Remus could hear the locks clicking and a sharp wailing. There was a loud thud as if someone had punched the door, followed by a few choice curses before everything was drowned out by the ear-splitting shrieks of Mrs. Black. Remus wiped his eyes quickly with the sleeve of his robes as he walked away from the door, accompanied by Dumbledore and Tonks.

"He will be fine, Remus. I will make sure there is always someone here with him. Molly will most likely be here round the clock. You mustn't get distracted from this mission," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice as they walked.

Remus stopped walking and turned to glare at Dumbledore, his expression one of deep loathing. "You better hope he's ok when I get back, Albus. Don't worry, I won't be distracted. I'm a werewolf, remember? I have no heart." Remus turned and continued walking in silence beside Tonks, leaving Dumbledore looking slightly stunned in the square outside Grimmauld Place.

"You know he's only doing what he thinks is best for the Order, Remus. It's unfair that Sirius has to stay locked up even though he's innocent, but things could be so much worse. He might go round the twist a little, and he will worry and try to skive off food; I'm not going to sugar-coat the truth. Just remember that he'll never be truly alone while you're gone, and try to focus on nothing but the mission. Time will fly by if you just try not to think about him at all. It tends to work pretty well for me," Tonks explained quietly as they walked further up the street, the sun almost completely gone now.

Remus sighed heavily and pulled his cloak more securely around him, trying not to focus on the tear-stained and still moist shoulder of his robes. "Does it really? And who is it you're trying not to think about, Dora?" Remus said knowingly, not making eye contact with the younger woman.

Tonks blushed lightly but otherwise didn't react. "I'll check on Sirius every day that I can get away from the Ministry." They stopped walking and Tonks turned to face Remus. "Werewolf or not, you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. Don't worry too much, eh? Wotcher, Remus." Tonks smiled briefly before touching Remus' cheek lightly. She turned on the spot and disapparated, leaving Remus to feel extremely uncomfortable and miserable before he too disapparated.

RSRSRSRS

Sirius was laying in his bed, his robes hanging open and his hair messy. It had been three days already since Remus had left. It didn't feel like it had been that long, but Sirius had been asleep most of the time. The night Remus left, Sirius cried for hours until his head was pounding, then he eventually fell asleep. Since then, he had woken up a few times to slam the door in Molly's face or use the loo.

He was being ridiculous, he knew that. It was childish of Sirius to stay cooped up in his room, crying and skiving off meals because Remus had been gone for three days. Every time Remus left for a mission, it was the same routine for Sirius; cry himself to sleep, sleep for days on end, starve himself, begin to go crazy, cry some more, then celebrate when Remus came home. He had never had to deal with whatever steps usually came after the second bout of crying because that's when Remus would always come home, as if on cue. Remus' longest mission before, however, had only been two weeks. This mission was a month long. Sirius wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew it would be nothing good.

_Knock knock_

"Sirius? Are you decent?"

Sirius grumbled as he heard the sound of Tonks' voice for the third time since Remus had left. He really didn't enjoy company when he was in these moods, especially not Tonks' company.

"Yes…" he mumbled lazily, not bothering to cover his bare chest or move at all. He didn't care what he looked like to Tonks; he didn't need to impress anyone.

Tonks walked into the room and slowly walked over to the desk beside the bed. She pulled out the chair and sat down, sighing lightly. "Sirius, you need to eat. Remus would be furious if he knew you hadn't eaten in three days."

Sirius frowned and stared up at the canopy of his four-poster. "Well Remus isn't here to be furious, is he? What do you want, other than to bug the crap out of me?"

Tonks smiled and rolled her eyes. "I promised Remus I would keep an eye on you, so I am. Come now, Sirius; do you really think Remus would want you up here staring at the wall and starving yourself? What are you trying to prove?" Tonks asked quietly. She was used to this by now; she'd made sure Sirius was ok every time Remus went on a mission.

"That I'd die without Remus. I'm almost there, so could you leave me in peace to rot, please?"

"Well since you've been too miserly to let the post owls in, you missed a letter from Harry yesterday," Tonks said with a bit of a evil smirk.

Sirius sat up quickly and looked around for any sign of said letter. "Well where is it, then?"

Tonks stood up and headed towards the door, her hair changing from its usual bright pink to a long and curly black; she highly resembled her mother that way. "It's down in the kitchen, under a tray of food. You won't be able to unseal it until you've eaten everything on the tray, so I'd go down and get on with it if I were you. I have no idea what it says; it could be a dire emergency," Tonks waved slowly at Sirius before leaving the room, giggling lightly to herself.

Sirius scowled and stared after Tonks, a bit amused by her daring and highly annoyed at her- annoyingness. He stood up and buttoned up his robes before running a brush quickly through his hair. If he was being quite honest, Tonks had worked out just about the only thing that would get Sirius to even think about eating a bite, and he actually appreciated it. With one last heavy sigh, he headed down to the basement kitchen, feeling slightly better than he had for the last three days.

After eating about five pounds of just about everything he could think of, Sirius was finally able to unseal the letter.

'_Dear Snuffles,_

_How're you feeling? Moony wrote to me the day he left and told me that he was going to be away for a month. He told me to make sure you were alright, and yell at you about not eating. I'm just passing the message along. Oh- he also said he 'Misses and loves you; much wet and sloppy kisses.'_

_I think I'm scarred for life now._

_You're hanging in there, right? You know Moony wouldn't want you to commiserate his absence too much. It'll be over in a flash._

_School is…crazy. There's a new defense teacher and she's about as pleasant as your dear mum. I've already had three nights of detention with her, and I still have a full week to look forward to. Lovely, eh? Old hag._

_Well I'll have to cut this short, as I need to head down to detention pretty soon. Please don't starve to death; then I'd really be an orphan. Hug the resident mother there for me, and please don't go crazy. Hope to hear from you soon._

_Harry Potter'_

Sirius laughed as he finished reading the letter, staring at his godson's signature for a long time. His handwriting looked almost identical to James'. Sirius had seen enough of James' scrawl to recognize it anywhere. The little details of James that Harry possessed were simply amazing to Sirius. How could someone be so incredibly like someone they never really knew?

Molly walked into the kitchen and was shocked to see Sirius sitting at the table, the tray of food she had left for him completely gone. "Sirius, it's a pleasant surprise to see you down here," Molly said with a warm smile.

Sirius had been so fascinated by Harry's signature that he didn't even hear Molly enter the kitchen. He jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, but smiled back at her. "You gave me a fright! Tonks blackmailed me into eating. Harry wrote to me," Sirius said as he held up the letter.

Molly smiled and sat down at the table across from Sirius. "Tonks really is a lovely girl. A bit clumsy, but lovely all the same. Is Harry doing alright? Ginny wrote to me and told me he's been in quite the bit of trouble already. He really is James' son."

Sirius laughed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, he really is. He said he's doing fine; just a few detentions. Apparently Remus wrote to him before he left and told him to badger me about eating. So resourceful, Remus; using my own cousin and godson to blackmail me," Sirius said with a faint smile. His heart began to ache again as he thought more and more about Remus.

Molly smiled sympathetically and stood up from the table. "He's just worried about you, Sirius, as he very well should be. You will start eating again, won't you? Only, a month is a very long time to go without eating," Molly said as she walked over to the stove and began to make a pot of tea.

Sirius sighed heavily. Molly was right; he couldn't skive off eating for that long. He wasn't proving anything by starving himself other than the fact that he was an idiot for love. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm stuffed as of right now, though. There was enough food for- "

"Three days on the tray? I know; I made it all. That's my biggest pet peeve; not eating. I'll call you down for meal times, alright? I'll start making dinner here in a little while. Onion soup and some warm bread sound good?" Molly asked as she handed Sirius a cup of tea.

Sirius smiled as he took the cup graciously. "That sounds lovely, Molly." He took a deep drink of his tea before standing up and pulling Molly into a tight hug. He kissed her forehead gingerly before pulling away, smiling.

Molly looked highly confused, but still amused. "Well thank you, Sirius, but whatever was that for?"

Sirius shrugged as he drained his cup of tea and sat it back down on the kitchen table. "Harry asked me to give you a hug from him."

Molly smiled and laughed lightly. "And the kiss?"

Sirius smirked before walking towards the door and pushing it open. He stood in the doorway, looking back at Molly. "The kiss was from me." He left the kitchen, smiling lightly to himself and feeling that, for once, he just might _not_ go insane without Remus there with him after all.

* * *

**A/N:** So there it is. I'll try to post a little bit sooner next time. PLEASE review and let me know if the story is still as good as it started out to be! Love y'all!


	18. Tattoo

**DISCLAIMER:** If I owned them, I wouldn't be a poor college student.

**A/N:** Hey there everyone! Sorry this update took so long, but finding inspiration to write has been like pulling teeth lately. Here's chapter 18, and 19 is complete as well. I want to write at least one or two more chapters before posting 19, tho, so be patient!

**WARNING:** Violence, blood, abuse, foul language, and lots of melodrama!

* * *

**Ch 18.  
Tattoo**

"So you're back for more, eh? You'd think someone would learn their lesson after being beaten five times. Why is it you're so determined, Lupin? Does Dumbledore want you dead or what?" Greyback was pacing back and forth in front of Remus, who was bound to a chair and gagged.

Remus' head was spinning as he tried to follow Greyback with black and swollen eyes. It had taken a week to get back into the Clan and about five seconds for Greyback to recognize him and single him out.

"Take the gag out so he can speak, Franklin," Greyback ordered one of the grimy and half clothed Clan members.

Franklin bustled over and pulled the material out of Remus' mouth, letting it hang loose around his neck.

Remus licked his lips and tried to swallow, his mouth and throat extremely dry after not having anything to drink for nearly two days. "He doesn't want me dead; he wants the support of the London Clan. Where is Dayton? Why have you taken over this Clan?" Remus asked, his words a little bit slurred and hoarse out of exhaustion and deliria.

Greyback laughed as he used a sharp nail to pick his teeth. "Dayton was a fool. Leading the Clan to be neutral in this war is pointless. We've suffered too much for too long not to take the Dark Lord's offers into consideration. What is Dumbledore offering us; the chance to hug muggles and mudbloods while we support the Light simply because he said so? I think not. The Dark Lord is offering us freedoms we've been fighting to have for years; money, power, _food_, maybe even a cure. How could any one of you deny that you want all of that?" Greyback turned back to face Remus. "How could _you_ not want what He's offering? You've suffered the same pain and loss that we all have; don't you want to be _cured_, to be free of all that pain?"

Remus blinked rapidly, suddenly realizing that he was actually crying. "Of course I want a cure, but there are different ways to find one, better ways! Why should others have to suffer for us to find the cure, to have these freedoms? We are essentially damning other innocent people and for what? Empty promises from someone we know we can't rely on! You mustn't buy into the lies he's feeding you. I beg you to consider Albus Dumbledo- "

"Gag him! Now! Dumbledore has nothing to offer us other than false hope! He will not take the risks to get us the freedoms and rights we deserve, whereas the Dark Lord will do anything!" Greyback yelled, a low growl emitting from his throat. He leaned over Remus, his hands on either side of the rickety chair. His breath was hot and putrid, the smell of rotting flesh and sweat most prominent. "You will stay here, gagged and bound, until the next full moon. Then _they_ can have you since I've already had a taste," Greyback said in a low hiss, flecks of spit landing on Remus' face. "Come, we've got more work to do before full moon! I want every house with a child under the age of ten marked on the map; muggle or magical," Greyback barked at the assembled group of men and even a few women.

"Pease! Don leab me!" Remus tried to yell through the gag, the tears streaming down his cheeks again. Sirius had been right, he shouldn't have taken this mission to begin with; it was now going to be a death sentence and he would never see the man he loved again.

RSRSRSRS

"Noooo!" Sirius screamed as he sat bolt upright in his bed, cold sweat dripping from his bare chest and his sheets wrapped awkwardly around his legs. He tried to steady his breathing, but the panic is his chest was too much to ignore. He quickly untangled himself from the sheets and got out of bed before walking to the bathroom. He turned the sink on and splashed cool water onto his face, noticing how pale he was in the mirror.

"Please be ok, Remus, wherever you are…"

The next morning, Sirius was still in a state of panic as he entered the kitchen, instantly spotting Tonks and making a bee-line for her.

"Have you heard from Remus, or anyone who knows how he is?" Sirius asked quickly as he sat down next to her.

Tonks blinked a few times, barely registering what Sirius said, as he had spoken so quickly. "Er…no, not for a couple of days. The last I heard from him he was still well hidden and undetected by the Clan Head. He said something interesting though; I think there's supposed to be something hidden in it, but I'm not sure. Here, look." Tonks reached into her pocket and pulled out a grimy, hastily folded piece of parchment. She handed it to Sirius, feeling sure he would be able to figure it out.

Sirius quickly unfolded the parchment, his heart beating in his throat. He nearly burst out into tears as he read Remus' scrawled writing, obviously written very quickly and in the dark.

'_Still under the radar with the Leader. The Leader has changed; someone we know is very much on the other side and wants to turn the rest. The colour of his name is the colour of his coat.'_

Sirius stared at the parchment, instantly knowing the hidden meaning. "Greyback…The new Leader is Fenrir Greyback! _'The colour of his name-'_; Grey, _'is the colour of his coat'_; back. He's the bastard that bit Remus when he was five! This is bad, Tonks. This means that the Clan is no longer neutral. They'll kill him!" Sirius said, his heart almost exploding with despair.

Tonks shook her head, a bit confused and flustered. "Wait, how do you know so much about the mission? He wasn't supposed to t- "

"Of course he told me! I'm his lover for God's sake; I have every right to know! Has Dumbledore seen this letter?"

"What- I- Remus told- "

"Has Dumbledore seen the God damn letter?!" Sirius yelled at the top of his voice, slamming his fist down on the table.

Tonks jumped and spilled her tea everywhere. "NO! He hasn't even been here in a week!" she yelled back, feeling slightly annoyed and a little panicked herself.

Sirius quickly stood up and moved to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the grate before stepping in the flames and shouting, "Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts!"

"Sirius you mustn't- "

Sirius disappeared into the swirling green flames. A few seconds later he was falling out of Dumbledore's fireplace and catching himself on the wall. "Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore looked up from the papers on his desk. "Sirius, what on earth are you doing here? Do you have any idea what could have happened if I had not been alone?" He stood up and walked around his desk, moving quickly towards Sirius.

"Albus, the Clan in being headed by Fenrir Greyback! They're no longer neutral; they're on Voldemort's side! They'll kill Remus! He could already be dead!" Sirius said quickly, his voice constricted.

"Calm down; you're overreacting, Sirius. What evidence do you have of this information?" Dumbledore said calmly as he stroked his beard.

"I am not overreacting! Remus sent this letter to Tonks a couple of days ago; read the last line, Albus."

Dumbledore took the letter and unfolded it. He pulled his half-moon spectacles from his pocket and slid them up his nose. He read the letter carefully before folding it back up and handing it back to Sirius. "It seems as though you are right, Sirius. However, I do not want you to worry yourself over it. Let me deal with this as I see fit. You need to go back to Grimmauld Place straight away. Do not come back here, Sirius, no matter what," Dumbledore said in a stern voice.

Sirius was in half a mind to refuse and go looking for Remus himself, but he knew that would be a bad idea for all parties involved. "Please find him, Albus…" Sirius said quietly as he walked back to the fireplace and threw in some floo powder.

"I will try my hardest, Sirius, I promise."

Sirius walked into the green flames and muttered the destination, unable to say it out loud due to the Fidelius Charm. He spun around once more and arrived back in the basement kitchen, making Molly jump severely and spill a pot of tea across the table.

"Goodness! Sirius, wherever did you go?" Molly asked as she quickly used her wand to clean up the spilled pot of tea.

"To see Dumbledore. Remus is in a lot of danger wherever he is now…" Sirius said quietly as he sat down at the kitchen table. He ran a hand through his hair, his hands shaking lightly.

"Oh Sirius, I'm sure he'll be just fine. Remus is a fully capable adult, he can handle things just fi- "

"Molly, where's Tonks and Shacklebolt?" Severus Snape asked as he entered the kitchen, his robes and cloak billowing out behind him.

"Tonks just left for guard duty and Kingsley hasn't come by yet. What is it, Severus? Is everything alright?"

Severus looked around the room and spotted Sirius, sighing deeply. "Remus Lupin has been found in an abandoned underground station. He's completely unresponsive, but he is alive, if only just. He's extremely dehydrated and looks like he's been starved for some time. I need one of the Aurors for clearance; I can't get across the yellow tape myself. We must be quick; it's full moon tonight,"

"How did Dumbledore find him so quickly?" Sirius asked as he stood up from the table, knocking his chair over backwards. His face was pale and his heart was beating extremely too fast.

"He has his ways, Black- "

"You mean he asked his _spy_ where Greyback was and you readily gave him the information. Did you know he had Remus?" Sirius asked in a low whisper.

Severus rolled his eyes and glared at the man across from him. "Yes, I knew where Greyback was, but I didn't know Remus was with him. I would have told Dumbledore straight away if I had known. Do not put this on me, Black. You're lucky I did know where Greyback was, otherwise we might not have even found him in time," Severus snapped back, flipping his hair out of his face.

Sirius realized that Snape was right, but that didn't make him feel any better about the situation. "I want to see him. Have they taken him to St. Mungo's?" he asked with a slight scowl.

Severus looked slightly uncomfortable now. "There are- er -some issues that they're still dealing with before they can transport him."

Sirius' panic reached a whole new level. "What do you mean; what issues?"

"Lupin was gagged and bound to a chair in the middle of the underground. It looks as though he had been unconscious for some time, and er…" Severus looked highly uncomfortable now as he shifted slightly. "Someone found him before we did."

Sirius stared at Snape with his mouth hanging slightly open. "What? What does that mean? Who? How do you know?" he asked, not realizing he was getting closer and closer to Snape as he spoke.

Severus bit his lip before glancing around at Molly, who looked close to fainting. "He was stripped completely naked and the word 'fag' was branded on his chest by some sort of hot iron. It's obvious that it was a muggle attack," he said quietly, his voice shaking a little as he said it. He looked away from Sirius, unable to meet his eyes.

Sirius lost whatever little shred of control he had. Molly quickly moved a chair behind him as he collapsed, tears cascading down his cheeks as he clutched at his hair. He let out a sob as he curled in on himself.

"Good God, Severus! How on earth did they even know that Remus was homosexual?" Molly asked as her face paled and her eyes widened.

"Our tattoos…" Sirius croaked, subconsciously rubbing the spot on his chest where his own tattoo was.

_It was raining extremely hard on a Saturday night, the sky releasing a loud clap of thunder. Remus and Sirius were running down the street, a cloak held up over their heads as they splashed through a few puddles. They entered the first door that looked open._

"_What can I help you boys with?" a large scruffy man asked from behind the counter. He was covered in so many tattoos you could barely tell what skin colour he was. _

"_We're just looking for shelter from the rain is all; do you mind?" Remus asked with a warm smile._

"_Moony! This is one of those tattooing places you told me about, isn't it? Let's get one!" Sirius said excitedly as he unabashedly stared at the large tattooed man._

"_Oh no, I refuse to get something permanently drawn on my body. Plus, they're terribly expensive," Remus said as he brushed his soggy hair out of his eyes._

"_We're having a special right now; pay for one tattoo get a second half price. We do discounts on matching ones, too," the large man said as he frowned at the two teenage boys._

"_Come on, Moony, discounts and whatnot! I have muggle money, let's do it!" Sirius said as he tugged pleadingly on Remus' arm._

"_Sirius, be quiet. What on earth would we even get, Padfoot?" Remus asked just to humor his boyfriend. Apparently that was a big mistake._

"_Well I've been thinking and I think I came up with something good. I can get a big 'R' on my chest where my heart is with that little purple triangle thing you like so much, and you could get the same thing but with a big 'S'!" Sirius said with a wide smile._

_Remus stared at him for a few seconds. "You've seriously been thinking about getting a tattoo? I dunno, Padfoot…You do know they never come off and they hurt, right?"_

_Sirius nodded vigorously. "I know; it's perfect! You'll always been in my heart, so you might as well be tattooed across it as well," Sirius said with a cheeky grin._

_Remus chuckled as he felt his barriers drop. "Who knew you were such a hopeless romantic?"_

"_Are you two love birds getting inked or what?" the burly man asked with a huff._

_Sirius nodded and pulled out a giant wad of muggle money. "Yup, and we know exactly what we want."_

_A few minutes later, Sirius was singing a different tune. "Ouch! What the _hell_ is that?"_

_Remus laughed from the chair beside Sirius; the Animagus had volunteered to go first. "It's a needle, Sirius. I told you it was going to hurt," Remus said with a smirk._

_Sirius sighed and gathered all his courage. "Its fine, I'm alright, I can do this," Sirius chanted, taking a deep breath as the artist turned the gun back on._

"_You sure about that, princess?" the man asked with a smirk._

_Sirius glared at the artist, his jaw set. "Just do it."_

_An hour and a half later, Remus was sitting where Sirius had been and was pulling his shirt off. "I want the same thing, but instead of an 'R', I want an 'S' in the same script as his 'R'," Remus said as he settled himself comfortably in the chair._

_Sirius was sitting very still, a large white bandage covering the left side of his chest. There was a little bit of blood seeping through the thin bandage. "Don't flinch, Moony; it makes it hurt worse." Sirius croaked._

_Remus smiled and nodded. He had a very high tolerance for pain, considering what happened to him every month. He flinched slightly as the artist turned the gun on, but took a deep breath and steadied himself as the gun was placed to his chest. It stung like a thousand bees piercing his flesh, sending a light vibration to his very core; it felt strangely good. "This is weird…" Remus muttered as the buzzing of the gun filled his ears._

_Sirius scowled. Of course Moony would actually _enjoy_ this; Sirius swore it was just to make him seem like a wimp. "Show off," he said quietly._

_Another hour and a half later, Remus was studying his raw and fresh tattoo in a hand mirror. It was a large script 'S' tattooed across the left side of his chest right above his heart, a small upside down purple triangle in the very center of the 'S'. "I can't believe I got a tattoo. I'm going to hate myself tomorrow, Sirius. You owe me," Remus muttered as he studied the inflamed flesh. He actually quite liked it; it would always be there as a reminder to him just how much he loved Sirius._

_Sirius had taken the bandage off of his own tattoo and was looking at his as well. His was the same as Remus' except instead of an 'S', there was a large script 'R' with the upside down purple triangle in the center of the 'R'. Both the letters on both men were coloured in pitch black. "I love it," Sirius said with a smirk. _

_The big burly man came back into the room with a calculator and started punching numbers. "Alright, the total with no discounts would have been three-hundred and eighty pounds. With the half price discount it's two-hundred and eighty-five, and with the matching discounts its two-hundred pounds. You saved one-hundred eighty pounds. This'll be in cash?" the man asked as Sirius pulled out the wad of bills again._

_Remus took the notes out of Sirius' hands and counted out the two-hundred pounds. "Here you are. And here's another fifty as a tip. Thank you," Remus handed the rest of the notes back to Sirius who was frowning. _

"_Oi, you can't just give away my money without asking!" Sirius joked as he stowed away the money._

_Remus laughed and pulled his shirt on after letting the man place a bandage over his tattoo. "Bollocks, he did a good job and he put up with your whining the whole time," Remus said with a smirk._

_Sirius punched Remus lightly on the arm. "Oh shut it, you sod. I don't have a super high pain tolerance, Moony."_

_Remus pulled Sirius close to him as they exited the tattoo parlor. The rain had let up and it was only sprinkling lightly now. "I love you, Sirius…" he whispered quietly, his lips brushing his lover's._

_Sirius smiled and wrapped his arms around Remus' waist, making sure not to put pressure on Remus' tattoo or let Remus put pressure on his. "I love you too, Remus…" He pressed his lips firmly to the werewolf's, smiling into the kiss as the rain decided to make a comeback. They were thoroughly drenched as they stood in the rain, kissing passionately without a care in the world, only a stinging sensation across their hearts._

"Tattoos? What tattoos?" Molly asked curiously as she handed Sirius a cup of hot tea.

Sirius sighed and sat the cup down on the table. He unbuttoned his shirt a few buttons and pulled the material aside to expose the left side of his chest. The large script 'R' with the purple triangle was still very vivid and easily spotted. "We were only nineteen when we had them done. It was stupid, I know. I talked Remus into it. The triangle is an international symbol for homosexuality; it's a tell-tale sign," Sirius explained in a constricted voice, covering himself back up and taking a large gulp of his tea.

Molly frowned sadly down at Sirius. She quickly moved forward and leaned down to wrap her arms around the man, patting his back gently. "Oh Sirius, you poor thing!"

"Severus! I've been looking for you. They've taken him to St. Mungo's now. It's not looking good." Tonks had burst through the kitchen doors, not realizing that Snape wasn't alone.

Sirius quickly pulled himself away from Molly and stood up, looking faintly at Tonks. "What doesn't look good, Dora?" he asked in a small voice.

Tonks looked slightly guilty and sick. "They beat him pretty bad, Sirius…I could barely recognize him; he's completely black and blue from head to toe," Tonks said quietly as she tried not to look into her cousin's eyes.

Sirius swayed slightly on the spot before promptly passing out, falling backwards and hitting his head with a loud _thunk_ on the hard wooden floor.

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**A/N:** Sorry for the cliffy! I seem to be real good at those lately, haha. Just a heads up, the idea for the tattoos isn't solely mine; I read something kind of similar to it in another fic and liked it very much. I would give credit to the author if I could remember which fic it was, haha. It was also loosely based on the song lyrics of the song _Tattoo_ by Jordin Sparks. I think it explains Remus' and Sirius' relationship nicely, the song that is. I hope to update sooner next time! Ciao!


	19. Some Rest Some Peace

**DISCLAIMER: **I wish, but no, I don't own ANY of it!

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been really sick the last week or so, which makes it pretty difficult to stay focused and write properly. It's a tad bit short, sorry again! The next chapter is a wee bit longer tho, promise. ENJOY!

**WARNING: **Slightly upsetting details. Morose Moony. Cussing as usual.

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**Ch 19.  
Some Rest; Some Peace**

"Sirius? Sirius, wake up…come on…"

Sirius could hear Tonks' voice faintly as he slowly regained consciousness. He blinked his eyes a few times before realizing his head was pounding. "Ugh…What- ?"

Tonks was hovering above Sirius, looking down at him with a worried expression. "You fainted. Is your head alright?" she asked quietly.

Sirius tried to sit up, but his vision swam and he fell back to the floor. He could feel something wet and warm below him as he lifted a hand to touch the back of his head. He felt what he knew was blood and felt instantly queasy. "Ouch…"

Tonks kneeled down and lifted Sirius' head gently. "You knocked yourself pretty good there. You're bleeding quite a bit. Keep still would you," she said as Molly handed her a towel. She placed it under Sirius' head and used her wand to heal the gash on the back of Sirius' head.

Sirius was starting to remember what happened and why he passed out. "Where is he? Is he ok?" Sirius asked as he tried to sit up again.

"Remus is at St. Mungo's, Sirius. They're working on him now. Just lay back down, ok? Things will be just fine," Tonks said as she smoothed down Sirius' hair before standing up. "Keep an eye on him, Molly. I need to report to the scene before they realize I'm missing. I'll be back if there's any news."

Molly nodded quickly as she knelt down beside Sirius with vial of green potion in her hand. "Be careful, Tonks dear," Molly said as she watched Tonks leave the kitchen. She turned back to look at Sirius, who was trying to sit up once more. "Sirius lay back down for a few minutes. Here, this is a blood replenisher. Drink it before trying to move around too much; you're too weak from the blood loss."

Sirius took the vial and quickly poured the liquid into his mouth, pushing himself into a more dignified sitting position, his back leaning against the leg of the table. "I knew this was going to happen. I should never have allowed him to go; I should have fought harder against it. How could Dumbledore hand him to Greyback so easily? I can't even go see him, I won't know if he's ok. He'll probably want to see me and I won't be able to be there for him and- "

"Sirius, calm down. Tonks is going to report back here with any information on Remus. I'm sure he is going to be fine and the Healers will be able to patch him up in a jiffy. Don't worry, we'll make sure you're upda- "

There was a loud crash from upstairs followed by the shrieking of Mrs. Black. As Sirius and Molly were the only known people in the house besides Kreacher and Buckbeak, both turned curiously towards the kitchen door.

Sirius quickly stood up, ignoring the slight nauseous feeling in his stomach as he moved towards the door. Molly was right behind him as he climbed the steps and walked into the hall, where Tonks was trying to silence the portrait. Sirius looked around her and saw Dumbledore hovering Remus on a stretcher heading towards the staircase to the second floor.

"Remus!"

"Sirius, Remus is still unconscious and is in no condition to be bothered at the moment. The Healers have done everything they can for him. His bruising is healed, as well as the burn, but he is still very much in pain," Dumbledore explained, trying to shield the werewolf from a frantic Sirius.

Sirius glared at Dumbledore. "You have some fucking nerve, Albus. This is all your fault! He wouldn't even be in this damn situation if you wouldn't have pressured him into taking the damn mission. You sent him on a guilt trip, making him think he owed you something for your favor of letting him go to Hogwarts. He didn't and doesn't owe you shit! He could have died and you don't give a damn about his well being; you only care about the failure of your precious fucking mission. You can leave Remus with me, you're not needed," Sirius hissed, his voice dangerously calm throughout the entire telling-off.

Dumbledore studied Sirius for a few seconds before transferring the hovering spell to Sirius' wand, allowing him to control Remus' stretcher. "He's all yours, Sirius. The full moon is tonight; make sure he is secured properly." He turned to Tonks, who was staring open mouthed at her cousin and the old man. "Nymphadora, Shacklebolt has asked me to tell you that you no longer have duty tonight. You may stay here to help Sirius look after Remus if you so wish. Good day." Dumbledore nodded briefly at the shocked woman before promptly leaving the house.

Sirius ignored Tonks' stare and made his way up the stairs, directing Remus in front of him. He gave the password to their room and hovered Remus to their bed, carefully transferring the scarred and pale man to the soft surface.

"Oh Moony…What happened to you?" Sirius whispered as he smoothed a strand of dirty and lank hair out of Remus' still-closed eyes. He looked fairly unscathed; the same normal scars and his usual pale complexion were there as always. Sirius slowly pulled the thin shirt covering his lover over Remus' head, exposing the angry red skin where the burn had been before. The letters could still be faintly seen among the other scars. The shadow of the 'g' could be seen just over the large script 'S' over Remus' heart. Tears stung at Sirius' eyes as he smoothed his hands over the werewolf's chest, feeling the shallow rising and falling that was his breathing.

"Sir'us…?"

Sirius sat down on the bed beside Remus, cupping his cheek lightly. "Remus! You're awake? Are you ok?"

Remus blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to clear his hazy vision. He saw the worried face of his lover and his heart almost exploded with relief. With all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself up and pulled Sirius into a lazy hug, nuzzling his face into the crook of Sirius' neck. "Missed you…" he croaked, clinging to the fabric of Sirius' shirt.

Sirius pulled Remus close to him, placing a chaste kiss on his forehead and trying to keep the sob in that so wanted to escape his lips. "Oh Moony, I missed you too. You're never allowed to leave me again, you hear me? Never again…"

Remus sobbed into Sirius' neck, feeling the heaving of his lover's shoulders as Sirius cried with him. "Never again…" Remus repeated, his strength giving out as he fell back to the mattress.

Sirius extricated himself from Remus' grasp long enough to crawl to the other side of the bed and lay down beside the battered man. He pulled him back into his arms, cradling the sobbing man carefully.

"I should have gotten out of there as soon as I recognized him, but I couldn't let Dumbledore down; I had to try. He's brain washed them all, they're not neutral anymore. Their planning attacks tonight, you have to tell Dumbledore." Remus clutched at the front of Sirius' shirt, a look of complete desperation on his face. "They're planting themselves close to houses where children under ten live, waiting for the full moon so they can attack them. You must make sure they're stopped. There are only a few hours until moon rise."

Sirius smoothed down Remus' hair, trying to calm the man down. "Shh, Moony. I'll let someone know so they can do something about it, ok? I'll be right back, just lie down and rest," Sirius said quietly as he pulled himself away from Remus' grasp. He quickly made his way out of the room and down to the basement kitchen where Tonks was drinking a cup of tea with Molly.

"Tonks, Remus has just told me that the Clan is planning a huge attack around London. They're planting themselves around homes of children under ten for the full moon tonight," Sirius said quickly, starling Molly into dropping her cup.

Tonks stood up quickly and headed towards the fireplace. "Thank you for letting me know. Tell Remus I'm going to deal with this. I'll be back." She threw a handful of floo powder into the flames and disappeared in a flash of green.

"Do you need any help, dear? Does Remus need anything? I'd be glad to do whatever I can," Molly asked as she hovered a pile of dirty dishes into the sink for washing. She was still slightly pale and didn't look as though she had quite recovered from the shock of the situation.

Sirius sighed heavily, running a hand through his already mussed hair. "Thank you, Molly, but I think all he needs right now is rest. He's going to have a really tough night tonight. I'm just glad he has the Wolfsbane to help him through," Sirius said in a defeated sort of voice.

"Alright, dear. Be careful with him tonight and make sure you add the extra charms to the door. Sometimes the Wolfsbane takes a bit to kick in," Molly said as she handed him a steaming goblet of said potion. Snape had been making it for Remus every month, even when he was supposed to be away on mission.

"I will. Thanks, Molly." Sirius made his way back up stairs to his bedroom quickly, fully intent on letting Remus know everything was going to be dealt with. As he walked towards the bed, he saw Remus curled up in a ball, peacefully asleep. Sirius felt a rush of relief flood through him as he watched his lover sleep, his chest rising and falling steadily. He begrudgingly tipped the goblet of potion into Remus' mouth, making the man squirm and cough a little, but he stayed sleeping. Sirius crawled onto the bed behind Remus and wrapped an arm around the werewolf's waist before covering them both with the comforter. _Let him get some rest; let him find some peace…_

"_James! Have you seen him yet?"_

_James shook his head slowly, a look of worried fear on his face. "No, not yet. How about you?"_

_Sirius sighed heavily as he shook his head. "No. He's been missing all day! He wasn't at breakfast, and he hasn't been in any classes so far. I didn't see him in the Great Hall for lunch, either. Where's Peter?" he asked as he shrugged his bag back onto his shoulder._

_James and Sirius were walking down the corridor after climbing the spiral staircase. It was still lunch time and they were frantically looking for their shyest and smallest friend. "I think he was looking in the library for him."_

"_I already checked the library. Don't you think that would be the first place I looked?" Sirius said in an angry growl._

_James let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't get short with me, Sirius. We're just as worried about Remus as you are. Have you checked the hospital wing?"_

_Sirius stopped in his tracks and smacked a hand dramatically to his forehead. "Of course! He told me he was going to the hospital wing last night! How stupid can I get? Come on!" Sirius said as he began to run down the corridor towards the infirmary doors. "Remus?!"_

"_Young man! This is a hospital, whatever are you shouting about?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she clutched her at her chest. She had jumped violently when the two young boys burst through the door._

"_Sorry, ma'am. Is our friend here by chance? His name is Remus Lupin. We've been loo- "_

"_Sirius?" a small and cracked voice came from the other side of a closed curtain. _

_Sirius quickly walked over and tore the curtain open. What he saw made his blood run cold. Remus was lying on the hospital bed, pale and tired looking. He had a huge gash on the side of his cheek, stretching all the way across his small visage. "Remus…"_

"_Merlin! You look like hell!" James said as he stood beside Sirius at the foot of Remus' bed._

"_Watch your tongue, Mr. Potter. I will not permit you to harass my patients. Remus needs his re- "_

"_Remus, we know you're a werewolf- "_

"_My goodness! Keep your voice down!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked, her eyes looking in danger of popping out of their sockets._

_Remus looked as though he was about to be sick. He curled in on himself, the tears stinging at his eyes threatening to fall. "H-how?" he squeaked._

_Sirius sat down on the side of the bed, reaching out a hand to touch Remus' scarred arm. "I sort of figure it out. I read your essay and I had noticed you always seemed to get sick during the full moon."_

"_I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…." Remus chanted as he shrunk even further away from Sirius. He looked so fragile and small as he clutched his knees up to his chest. It was his worst fears come true._

"_No, don't be sorry Remus. There's nothing to be sorry for! We should be saying sorry to you. You didn't choose to be a werewolf," Sirius said quietly, squeezing his arm in a supportive gesture._

_Remus didn't dare to believe his ears. He watched as James sat down on the other side of him, smiling with a sad look in his eyes. Peter was oddly missing, however. Could it be that his friends didn't hate him after all? "But…But I'm a horrible monster, Sirius…"_

"_Only once a month. That's not you, Remus, that's the wolf. Why didn't you just tell us?" Sirius asked, still clutching onto Remus' arm. _

_Remus frowned as he wiped his tears away, using the hand that wasn't being held onto by Sirius. "I thought you would hate me…You wouldn't be my friends anymore…"_

_Sirius and James exchanged identical heart-broken looks. "Ah, Remus, we'd never do that to you. It's not your fault…" James said quietly as he patted Remus' shoulder gently._

_Sirius smiled sadly at the small cowering boy beside him. It was very unnerving to see someone who was usually so strong break down so completely. "We'd never hate you, Remus. This doesn't change anything; you're still smart, quiet Remus and we're still your best mates," Sirius explained. He turned as he heard a hearty sniff behind him._

_Madam Pomfrey was busying herself with folding blankets and using cleaning charms to tidy up around Remus bed, purposely averting her eyes from the three young boys. She couldn't believe how much love could come from two twelve year old boys._

_Remus smiled weakly at Sirius, almost unable to believe his ears. "Really? You're not frightened of me now?" he asked in a small voice._

_Sirius shook his head fervently and smiled more confidently at his friend. "I could never be frightened of you, Rem."_

"_Yeah mate, you're harmless except for your furry little problem that comes once a month," James chided with a cheeky grin._

_Remus chuckled as he sat up in a more dignified position. "My 'furry little problem'? I think I like that description; it's certainly better than the real details…" Remus' smile faded as quickly as it came, swallowing the lump in his throat as he looked away from his two friends._

_Sirius frowned and bit his lip. Trying to fathom the horrors of turning into a ravaging wolf was beyond Sirius' imagination. The longing to do whatever he could for Remus intensified as he sat beside him._

"_Remus!" Peter walked over and slumped onto the bed, breathing hard as if he'd just run a mile. _

"_Where were you?" Sirius asked in an annoyed tone. Peter should have been here for all of this, too._

"_I went looking for Remus in the library and bloody Snivellus got me with a leg-locking jinx. I was stuck leaning against the wall for fifteen minutes before Lily Evans saw me and set me right. Stupid slime ball," Peter said with a scowl._

"_You ran into Lily?" James perked up at once, his hazel eyes gleaming with an intense glow. _

"_More like she ran into me; literally. She was trying to find a book for charms and she didn't see me as she turned the corner and nearly knocked me over. I'll get him back for this."_

"_That's not our main concern right now! Can't you two ever concentrate on one thing at a time?" Sirius snapped, gesturing towards Remus, who looked innocently curious._

"_No." James and Peter chided simultaneously._

_Remus laughed as he slumped forward against Sirius, clutching his sides as the soreness of his recent transformation was reawakened by his laughter. "You're too much…" Remus giggled, still leaning against Sirius._

_Sirius felt a strong urge to wrap his arms around Remus and hug him until the world ended, but refrained from doing so, sufficing with a one armed embrace. "Glad you're ok, Remus."_

_Remus looked up at Sirius, piercing gold meeting fathomless gray with great fondness shining through. "Thanks, Sirius…For everything," he whispered, intending for only Sirius to hear, though he was sure that wouldn't be too hard as Peter and James embarked on a discussion about the Quidditch try outs._

_Sirius tightened his grip on the werewolf for a moment before reluctantly releasing him. "It's my pleasure; I'd do anything for you," Sirius whispered back, smiling lightly at his friend._

_Remus simply smiled back before leaning back against his pillows, his eyes sliding closed as his exhaustion finally caught up with him._

_Madam Pomfrey shooed the three boys out of the hospital wing so Remus could get some rest. The poor boy had been through enough the night before, he didn't need three rambunctious boys making a racket when he was trying to sleep._

_Sirius looked back as he made it to the exit of the hospital wing, still able to make out the form of Remus at the end of the long infirmary. He looked so small in the crisp white linens of his bed, his eyes closed and a look of peaceful rest on his face. _Let him get some rest; let him find some peace…

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**A/N:** Aw look, no cliffie! Aren't y'all lucky. Please review! Not next chapter, but chapter 21 may have some lovely smut as a reward! Ciao!


	20. Chasing Shadows

**DISCLAIMER: **Don't own the lovely pups, but I wish I did!

**A/N:** Sorry this update took so long! I've been very distracted lately and still awfully sick, so writing has been very slow. I hope you all haven't given up on me! There's still a few more to go, but I must admit to you all that the end is near…And I will not be telling you which ending I have chosen. It's a surprise!

ENJOY!

**WARNING:** Emo Moony and moody Padfoot, but nothing too horrible.

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**Ch 20.  
Chasing Shadows**

That night, Remus had thankfully spent the whole time asleep after his transformation. Sirius, as Padfoot, cringed and whined at the amount of pain Remus was forced to endure after everything he'd already been through. Sirius thanked Merlin repeatedly for the invention of wolfsbane potion as he curled his canine body close to the softly whimpering, harmless wolf.

Remus woke up to find Padfoot curled up beside him, snoring softly and kicking as if having a wild dream about chasing cats. He smiled weakly before running a hand through the shaggy fur and scratching gently behind the dog's left ear. Padfoot woke up and yawned widely, his tail wagging quickly before he was quickly replaced by Sirius in human form.

"Morning, Moony…How're you feeling?" Sirius asked quietly as he gently wrapped an arm around the sleepy werewolf.

Remus sighed as he snuggled closer to Sirius. He smelled a mixture of dog, sweat, and something he took a while to realize were tears, on his pillow; Sirius had obviously been using it while he was away. His heart ached at the thought. "I've felt better, but I'll live," he said, his voice a little scratchy as he realized how thirty he was.

Sirius seemed to be an expert at knowing what Remus wanted. He flicked his wand and a glass of water appeared on the bedside table. He handed it to Remus and waited until he finished the whole thing before setting the glass aside. "I missed you so much…" he whispered as he ran a hand through his still slightly grimy hair.

Remus smiled as he nuzzled Sirius' neck. "I was only gone for two and a half weeks, Padfoot." His head snapped up as he stared at Sirius, his eyes wide in fear. "The children! Did you tell Dumbledore, did anything happen?" Remus asked quickly.

Sirius was slightly shocked by Remus' sudden outburst. "Calm down, Rem, it's alright. I told Tonks, who went to take care of it. I haven't heard back from anyone yet, but I'm sure everything is ok or they would have told us," Sirius said, not at all confident in his own words. He had shamefully forgotten all about Remus' warning after he had told Tonks.

Remus saw straight through Sirius confident façade, however, and got out of bed as quickly as his sore and aching body would permit. He tried to pull himself to the bathroom but soon realized his body wasn't quite up for the journey.

Sirius followed Remus and helped him as he stumbled into the bathroom. "What in Merlin's name are you doing, Remus? You're too weak to be running around, you need to lie back down."

"I need to take a shower so I can go and make sure nothing has happened to those children. Please, Sirius, just help me take a shower," Remus pleaded as he clutched onto his lover's shoulders for support.

Sirius felt his heart sink at the desperation in Remus' voice. He nodded a little reluctantly and helped Remus undress, undressing himself as well, and into the shower. He climbed in after the werewolf and turned the water on, holding Remus close as he shivered slightly in the cold air. He turned the heat of the stream up and let the water run down over himself and Remus. He helped the werewolf wash his body and hair, taking the time to touch every inch of the man he loved.

Remus stood with his back to Sirius, leaning against the Animagus' chest for support as he let the warm water cascade over him. He sighed as he felt Sirius wrap his arms tightly around his waist and lean his chin on Remus' shoulder. He felt a sudden, unexpected build up of emotion and he couldn't stop the sob from escaping his throat as tears mixed with the water on his cheeks. Everything that had happened was starting to catch up with him now. He felt his knees go weak and was grateful for Sirius' firm grip on his waist. He allowed his lover to turn him around so they were face to face. He buried his face in Sirius' neck and cried, clutching onto the man as he was unable to support his own weight.

Sirius held Remus' close, smoothing his hands up and down the werewolf's back. He didn't bother trying the stop the hot tears that stung at his eyes and let them fall slowly down his cheeks. He felt Remus' body shaking against his and felt a strong surge of anger rush through his entire body as he vowed to make everyone who had ever caused Remus pain regret the day that they were born. He kissed his lover's neck and shoulders as he tried to soothe away the pain. "It's ok, Remus…You're safe now; I'm here. I'll always be here…"

As the two men entered the kitchen, Sirius instantly knew something was wrong. Tonks was sitting at the kitchen table clutching a cup of tea and Charlie, who had been in Romania last he knew, was leaning over her in the chair beside her with his arm around her shoulders, whispering something. Molly was sitting across from Tonks, one of her hands patting Tonks' gently. They all three looked up at Remus and Sirius as they entered.

Remus sunk into a seat beside Molly and stared, horrified at Tonks and Charlie. "Dora…Please tell me they're ok," Remus croaked, subconsciously gripping the hand that Sirius had placed gently on top of his on the table.

Tonks' bottom lip tremble as she slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Remus. We stopped most of them, but there are five kids who were bitten, one killed. They're at St. Mungo's but they're going to release them to the Ministry. Two out of five are muggles and they're parents have abandoned them, the other three are magical and their parents opted for euthanasia."

"No! They mustn't! There are better options; can't you stop them?" Remus asked quickly, almost crushing Sirius' hand in his own.

"Remus, I can't feel my fingers," Sirius whispered to the werewolf. He quickly flexed his fingers as Remus let his hand go, then clutched his lover's hand once more.

"We don't have the jurisdiction to stop the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures from doing what the parents ask. I was hoping that maybe if you tried to talk to them, the parents, and tell them about your life as a werewolf, they'd reconsider. Dumbledore is planning to meet with them to let them know that their children will still have spots of Hogwarts. The muggle children are kind of stuck in limbo at this point. The Ministry doesn't know what to do with them, and they can't legally euthanize without parental consent. Their parents wanted nothing to do with them after they were told about the magical world and werewolves. They even had their memories cleared to forget the whole thing…" Tonks explained, her voice full of suppressed rage and sadness.

Remus nodded quickly. "Of course I'll speak with the magical parents. As for the muggle children, there is a home; a sort of sanctuary that my parents had considered sending me to. I'm not sure if it's still around, but you might want to look into it. It's called Kaseman Memorial and it's in Liverpool. When will I be meeting with these parents, and do you have any sort of background information on them and the afflicted children?"

Tonks pulled a folder out of her bag and handed it to Remus. "That's everything we know about all five children. Dumbledore is planning to meet with them at the Ministry Friday morning at eight o'clock. I can tell him you'd like to be there if you want; I was just getting ready to leave for work," she said as she gave Charlie a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and stood up. She looked so tired and worn; she seemed so much older than she really was.

Remus smiled lightly at Tonks and nodded. "Yes, thank you. I'll be there," Remus assured the Auror. He stood up and crossed the room, embracing Tonks tightly before smiling at her and watching her walk out of the kitchen. He turned back towards Sirius and rolled his eyes at the annoyed expression on his face. "Calm down, killer; it was just a hug," he said to Sirius as he sat back down beside his lover.

Sirius sighed as he placed a gentle kiss on Remus' temple. "I know, but I still think she fancies you. Who wants breakfast?" Sirius asked, trying to lighten the leaden mood in the kitchen.

Molly stood up and smiled warmly at Sirius. "I can scratch us something up, dear. You sit and relax. We've all had a trying last couple of days. Kippers and eggs sound good to everyone?" She waited for everyone's nod of agreement before turning to the stove and using her wand to start the fire.

Charlie was studying Remus and Sirius curiously as they exchanged little touches and soft glances. He took a sip of his tea and nearly spit it out as Sirius leaned over and kissed the werewolf full on the lips.

Sirius looked back at Charlie with a bemused expression before something clicked in his brain. "I'm guessing that look on your face means you weren't aware that Remus and I are lovers," Sirius said with a smirk. He hadn't even thought about Charlie not knowing.

Charlie blushed as he coughed lightly. He hadn't meant to look so shocked by the display, but apparently he had failed miserably. "Sorry, but no, I wasn't aware. Not that I have any problems with it, mind you. I was just wondering about the comment you made about Nymphadora," Charlie said, smirking back at Sirius.

Sirius chuckled as he rubbed Remus' thigh gently underneath the table. "Tonks fancied Remus here before, and I'm not quite so sure she's over it," Sirius explained with a shrug. He winced as Remus kicked his shin under the table. "What?" he asked incredulously.

Remus rolled his eyes and looked back over at Charlie. "I don't think Dora has any feelings towards me that aren't completely platonic. She knows I'm gay, so it'd be foolish of her if she did."

Charlie smiled at Remus and nodded slowly. "Well I can at least vouch for her being interested in somebody else, at least. I can't honestly say she doesn't have feelings for you, though; that's not my business nor my place," Charlie said conversationally.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at the red haired man and leaned forward a little. "Oh really? Who else does Tonks fancy, then?" Sirius asked, his curiosity overriding the constant pinches and kicks from Remus.

Charlie stood up and kissed his mother on the cheek before grabbing his cloak and swinging it over his shoulders. He looked back at Sirius, smirking triumphantly. "Me."

RSRSRSRS

"No…Please…Don't hurt me…Please…"

Sirius rolled over as he felt Remus squirm and kick, pulling the sheet and blanket off of Sirius as he did so. He gently shook Remus' shoulder as the man continued to talk and moan in his sleep. "Moony…Wake up, it's just a dream. You're all right..." Sirius whispered as he rubbed circles onto Remus' back.

Remus gasped as he finally opened his eyes and realized it had all been a dream. He took a few deeps breathes to calm himself and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Sorry…I didn't mean to wake you," Remus whispered into the dark.

Sirius smiled and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Remus' lips. "It's ok. Are you all right? It didn't sound like a very pleasant dream," Sirius asked quietly as he traced shapes on Remus' chest with his index finger.

Remus gulped as he tried to push the images of the dream away. "Same as every night this week…I hate it. I thought the nightmares would stop by now, but they come back every night," Remus said in a dark voice. The same recurring nightmare had been haunting him for the entire week since he'd come home to Sirius.

Sirius kissed Remus again and ran a hand through the werewolf's thick, golden brown and grey tinged hair. "What are they about?" Sirius asked softly, asking the same question he had still not received an answer to yet.

"I'm back in the chair, tied up and gagged. I can see shadows moving on the wall and they're coming closer. Then I can see the group of boys; they're so young but so angry. They see the tattoo and start hitting me and kicking me and they just won't stop. I can hardly see because my eyes are swollen shut, but it sounds like they're starting to go away. Then I feel something white hot against my chest and I try to scream but my throat is too dry and I feel the pain twice more before receiving one last blow to the head…I can still hear their laughter, see their shadows. I don't want to blame them for what they did because they were so young and foolish, but no matter where I am or what I do, people are always going to hate me. If it's not because of my Lycanthropy, it's because I'm gay. I can never escape the persecution and I'm so tired of being hated when I do nothing but be kind and helpful to people. I can't stand chasing the shadows away anymore…" Remus trailed off as he buried his face into Sirius' chest and let out all of his pent up tears.

Sirius held his lover close and smoothed his hands down the werewolf's back, kissing the top of his head gently. "I know, Remus, I know…" he whispered. He didn't know what to do or what to say. Every night that he cradled his sobbing lover, another piece of his heart broke away until he just wanted to scream. How could someone so wonderful, kind, brilliant, and big-hearted like Remus be forced to endure so much pain; physically and emotionally? Sirius wished that they could escape the persecution and live as a family with Harry, minding their own business and getting that elusive happily ever after they were almost certainly never going to see.

RSRSRSRS

Christmas time was fast approaching as November shifted into an icy December. Sirius hoped beyond anything that he would get to see Harry over the holidays, as he couldn't believe just how much he missed his godson. He was cleaning out the drawing room, along with Remus, as they decided that this was going to be where they set up the tree and have the Christmas festivities.

Remus was fussing over a drawer in the desk against the wall that refused to stay closed. He pushed it closed a half dozen times before he pulled out his wand and cursed it shut. As he turned to continue on with the cleaning, the drawer burst open again and an old dusty photo album shot out and smacked him in the back of the head. "OUCH! What the fu-?!" Remus exclaimed as he turned to glare at the photo album that was lying innocently on the floor.

Sirius crossed the room and picked the album up, dusting it off with his hand. He felt his heart stop as he recognized the cover. "This is my photo album from Hogwarts. It went missing when I was trying to leave my parents' house for good. I thought my mother had burned it…" Sirius said as he opened the creaky cover and smiled at the first photo; it was the Marauders on their last day of Hogwarts, their arms thrown around each other and wide grins on their faces. Peter had conveniently stepped out of the picture.

Remus walked over and looked at the photo album over Sirius' shoulder. He reached across and turned the page. He couldn't help the huge smile spreading across his face as he looked at the very first picture he had taken with Sirius. They were twelve years old and watching James' Quidditch try out in the rain. Peter had pulled out the new camera he had received for his birthday and snapped a picture of the two boys. They were holding a cloak over their heads, huddled together as they smiled at the camera. They looked like drowned rats from the amount of rain that was pouring down on them. "I remember that day…It was just after you all found out about my Lycanthropy."

Sirius nodded as a low chuckle escaped his throat. "Yeah, and I tried to convince you to stay inside because you were still unwell, but you were hell bent on being there to cheer James on."

Remus laughed as he turned the page again. He felt his heart ache at the way Sirius sniffed and sort of sagged against him. The picture was one of Sirius' favorites and Remus knew why. It was Halloween of third year and James and Sirius had dressed up as girls; skirts, knee-highs, pigtails, and heels. They had even convinced an exasperated Lily to do their make up for them. In the picture, Sirius had a shocked look on his face as James kissed him on the cheek. It came from as muggle camera, so the contents couldn't move. Sirius loved that the picture couldn't change at all because he loved it so much. "That was the best Halloween ever," Remus chuckled.

Sirius nodded as he sighed. He turned the page again. "Aw! Look, it's that picture that I took of you sleeping. You nearly tore my head off when you woke up."

Remus smiled lightly at the picture. He was lying on his back in his bed, his shirt tangled and lifted a little to expose his stomach and his sheets wrapped awkwardly around his legs, which were bent at weird angles. His hair was mussed and his mouth was hanging open slightly. Not one of his better pictures from his teen years, to say the least. "It was the day before the full moon; you knew better than to screw with me when the wolf was so close to the surface. I can't believe you kept this stupid picture," Remus said with a frown, though he was actually very touched that Sirius had kept the photo. It had been taken before they had even got together.

Sirius smirked as he leaned comfortably against his lover. "It's my favourite picture of you, actually," He said softly as he ran a finger over the outline of the sleeping werewolf. He turned the pages of the album a few times, each page revealing a different picture of Remus by himself, with Sirius or James, and of him in nothing but his swimming trunks, his wet skin glistening in the sun. "_Sweet_ _Merlin_! I lied; _this_ is my favourite picture of you," Sirius said as he gazed hungrily down at the picture.

Remus cuffed Sirius on the back of the head but chuckled. "Prat. I told you to destroy that damn picture. Why does it look like it's been repaired a million times?" Remus asked curiously as he examined the many folds and tears that had been obviously poorly repaired many times.

Sirius blushed lightly as he caressed the edge of the photo. "This picture used to live under my pillow. Whenever we would fight, I'd look at it and it would usually cheer me up. A couple of times I actually tore it up and repaired it."

Remus smiled softly as he flipped through the rest of the pictures. He felt his heart spasm at each memory, feeling very old indeed. "It's been almost twenty years since we graduated Hogwarts…When did we get so old?" Remus said sadly.

Sirius closed the photo album and turned to face his lover. He wove his arms around Remus and kissed him lightly on the lips, hating that he had to stand on his tippy toes to do so. "Who're you calling old? All my hair is still jet black, thanks."

Remus kissed Sirius back and smiled. "I've been going grey since I was fifteen. Doesn't mean you're not old. You're almost a year older than me, in fact."

Sirius growled as he pushed Remus against the wall of the drawing room. "Don't remind me. I may be old, but not too old to fuck you in obscure places in the house," Sirius whispered before running his tongue across Remus' cheek and lips.

Remus gasped as he felt his whole body heat up. He lowered a hand to teasingly pull at Sirius' belt loops, pulling the man flush against him. Lowering his head, he caught Sirius' lips in a gentle kiss, wrapping his arms loosely around his lover. "That's good to hear…" he muttered against Sirius' lips.

Sirius groaned as his cock grew tight against the seam of his pants. He slid his tongue into the werewolf's mouth and explored the warmth and wetness eagerly. Sirius was about to initiate the removal of clothes when he heard the door creak open. He reluctantly pulled away from Remus as his lover pushed him back.

Tonks was staring at the two men with her mouth hanging slightly open. She had been planning to deliver a message to Remus, but had been entranced by the two men kissing, pressed closely together with Remus trapped against the wall.

"Put your eyes back in, Tonks. What is it?" Sirius snapped, none too happy about being interrupted only to have Tonks stare stupidly at his lover.

Tonks shook her head and blinked her eyes a few times. "Er, Dumbledore asked me to give this to Remus. It's a letter from one of the parents of the afflicted children," she said as she held the scrolled parchment out.

Remus walked over and took the scroll, unrolling it hastily. His eyes scanned back and forth over the parchment, his slight scowl turning into a soft smile. "The girl, Amelia, who should have started Hogwarts this year, it's from her parents. They'd like me to tutor Amelia so that she can start with her second year next year as opposed to starting her first late. They're going to pay me and everything," Remus said excitedly as he looked up at Sirius.

Sirius frowned slightly as he felt the jealousy bubble in his stomach. "So you're going to do it, then?" Sirius asked sadly as he moved towards Remus.

Remus' smile slipped as he saw Sirius' expression. He hadn't thought about leaving Sirius alone again, but this time it would be different. "This is a good opportunity for me. Amelia is very talented, but unless she can prove to the board of governors that she can thoroughly pass all the first year exams, they'll make her start a year late. And…and I need the money, Sirius," Remus said quietly, frowning deeply at his own admission.

Sirius scoffed and shook his head. "You don't _need_ the money, Remus! You have all of the Black family gold at your finger tips but you refuse to take any of it! I don't know how- "

"Sirius, please! This isn't about the sodding money! I want to help this little girl, I want her to have the same opportunities I did and starting a year late is going to- "

Sirius kicked at the table beside him. "I don't care about some damn girl! What did you promise me the night you came back? ANSWER ME!" Sirius yelled, his temper way beyond lost.

Remus was seething as he crumpled the letter angrily in his hand. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as Sirius reminded him of the words he had spoken that night. "_'Never again…'" _Remus said quietly as his bottom lip trembled.

Sirius nodded slowly, scowling at the werewolf. "Yeah…Guess you forgot…I'm not going to keep you prisoner here, Remus. It's your decision," he whispered the last part before stepping around Remus and striding out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Remus flinched as the door slammed, the moisture stinging at his eyes angering him further. He could feel Tonks' eyes glued to him from behind and unclenched his fists slowly. He turned to look at Tonks, who had the decency to blush and look away. "The owl is out delivering a letter to Harry, so I can't reply yet. Tell Dumbledore my answer is yes and I'll go speak to him tomorrow morning," Remus said as he blinked back the tears swimming in his pain-filled eyes.

Tonks nodded slowly, not sure exactly what to do. Should she comfort him, tell him that Sirius is just being jealous and to ignore him? She frowned deeply as Remus seemed unable to keep his tears from sparkling down his cheeks, his bottom lip trembling even more now. Tonks moved towards him, reaching out the gently touch Remus' arm. "Remus…He's just upset about being locked up here. You shouldn't let it get to you so eas- " she was cut off as Remus engulfed her in a hug, leaning his head on her shoulder and letting out his tears. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling slightly awkward as she tried to comfort the crying man.

Remus' body shook slightly as he let out all of his bitter tears, glad that he had someone to help comfort him. His tears had started to dry up a bit when the door to the drawing room opened once more. He turned to look and saw the murderous look on Sirius face as he turned back around and left the room again. "I'm just digging the grave deeper and deeper…" he muttered as he pulled away from Tonks.

Tonks smiled understandingly at Remus as she pat his cheek gently. "He's just the jealous type, Rem, though he has nothing to worry about. Just go talk to him, I'm sure things will be fine," Tonks reassured the fretful older man.

Remus sighed deeply as he pocketed the now crumpled scroll. He smiled lightly as Tonks. "Thanks, Dora," he said quietly before leaving the room himself.

* * *

**A/N:** Aw poor Sirius is just too protective of Remus. I dedicate the Tonks/Charlie part to _remuslives23_, who hates Tonks/Remus just as much, if not more, than I do. WOOT! Please review and let me know what you think! Only a few more chapters to go – I've already written the ending, in fact and I cried like a baby doing it haha! Ciao!


	21. The Compromises of a Werewolf

**DISCLAIMER: **Don't own, don't sue.

**A/N: **I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so horribly long! I hope the content makes up for the long wait. Only a few more chapters to go! Thank you so much to all my readers, old and new! Enjoy!

**WARNING:** Oh lovely, lovely smut! This may actually be the most daring smut I've ever written, in fact. O.O!

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**Ch 21.  
The Compromises of a Werewolf**

"Sirius?" Remus said quietly as he entered the room he shared with his lover. He looked around and saw Sirius sitting on the bed, his arms crossed and his back against the headboard.

Sirius sniffed as a response to Remus. He was fuming and throwing a fit as usual, Remus would say. Remus was going to leave him again, after he had promised he wouldn't. And the nerve he had, hugging Tonks so close, crying on her shoulder when it should be _his_ shoulder that Remus cried on. Maybe he was just being childish and immature, but damn it, he had been through enough hell in his life! He was entitled to a little bit of selfishness for his troubles, right?

Remus sat down beside Sirius on the bed and sighed, frowning at the angry expression on Sirius' face. "Talk to me, Padfoot…" he said quietly, placing a hand gently on Sirius' leg.

Sirius yanked his leg out of Remus' reach. "You promised me, Remus," Sirius said in an angry and hurt tone. He wasn't looking at the werewolf, but staring at the wall opposite him instead.

Remus shook his head exasperatedly. "You're being ridiculous about this, Sirius. This isn't a dangerous mission, it's a job; a job helping a little girl who was bitten by a werewolf because I didn't do what I was supposed to. Don't you see why I need to do? It's my fault she's going through all of this and I have the opportunity to make up for my mistakes, at least a little bit," he explained, his voice a bit shaky near the end. He still felt guilty about the whole thing; it was essentially his fault in the end.

Sirius' angry mood slipped as he saw how guilt ridden Remus was. He uncrossed his arms and scooted forward, pulling the werewolf into his arms. "It's not your fault, Remus. You did everything you could. If you hadn't have told Dumbledore about the plan when you did, there would have been many other children hurt or killed. I'm sorry…I just don't like being left here alone and I want you to be here with me. But…If you really want to tutor this girl, do it. Don't let me stop you, Remus, I'm being selfish," Sirius said as he held his lover close.

Remus frowned as he cuddled close to Sirius, wishing he was still small and able to fight in Sirius' arms the way he used to be able to do at Hogwarts; now he was at least a foot and a half taller than the man. "I'm still thinking about it, Padfoot, but I really think I should…I'll sleep on it, eh? Let's just forget about it for now," Remus suggested as he snuggled closer to Sirius.

"Yeah, alright…" Sirius muttered as he frowned into the werewolf's hair, trying hard not to think about spending his days alone once more…

"_I think I have a plan for Halloween, Mr. Prongs. Would you like to hear it?" Sirius said with a devilish smirk as he reached across the Gryffindor table for a plate of bacon._

_James quirked up instantly, intent on hearing this plan from Sirius. "Oh, really? And what do you have in mind, Padfoot?" James asked curiously as he buttered his toast. _

_Sirius shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth as Remus sat down beside him. "Well I was thinking that we could get some of those wet start fireworks and- "_

"_Sirius, that owl is for you," Remus said as an owl landed next to the butter dish and stuck his foot out. _

_Sirius frowned and pulled the scroll out of the leather thong, jumping slightly as the owl immediately took off once more. He unrolled the scroll and scowled as he recognized his mother's handwriting. He turned instinctively towards the Slytherin table where Regulus was opening a similar scroll. He turned back to his own letter and began to read._

'Sirius,

Your father has been very ill for some time now. You would have known this if you would have stayed a part of our family. Regulus has been worried terribly about him the entire time like a proper son should be.

Your father died last night in his sleep. There will be a funeral tomorrow – you and Regulus already have permission to attend.

I hope you've learned something from this. Help your brother through this; you know how weak his is.

Walburga Black'

_Sirius' bottom lip trembled as he lowered the scroll, crushing it in his fist. He closed his eyes as he heard the shocked exclamation and wail of despair from the Slytherin side of the Great Hall. He couldn't bear to open his eyes and see his friends confused and worried faces, or to turn and see Regulus' heartbroken expression._

"_Sirius…? What's happened? Regulus is walking over here and he looks a mess," Remus said quietly as he squeezed Sirius' hand in his own under the table._

_Sirius opened his eyes and looked up to see Regulus, tears streaming down his cheeks and looking distraught. _

"_Dad's dead…"_

_Sirius let out a shaky breath as he tried to hold back the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. "I know…I'm sorry, Reg," Sirius whispered to his little brother._

_Regulus sniffled and wiped the tears haphazardly from his cheeks. "He was your father too, Sirius, even if you didn't want him to be. We need to go pack; Mum said we're leaving tonight."_

_Sirius bit his lip as he turned to Remus, who looked shocked and sympathetic. "I…I don't know if I- "_

_Remus shook his head and squeezed Sirius' hand again. "No, Sirius, you need to go. You'll be fine, yeah? Go to your family…" Remus said quietly, wanting very much to just touch Sirius' face, but unable to do so in public._

"_I want you there with me, Rem. I don't think I can do it without you…" Sirius muttered, blushing lightly under the gaze of his brother._

_Regulus sniffed and let out a frustrated huff. "You can bring your sodding boyfriend, Sirius; do whatever the hell you want. Just be there…" Regulus turned and stomped out of the Great Hall, many eyes following him curiously as whispers broke out._

_Remus blushed as the people around them who had heard turned to stare at them and whisper. Well, their cover was successfully blown. "Are you sure you want me to go? I don't want to cause trouble…" Remus asked tentatively. He wasn't sure how well he would be received by the Black family as their heir's gay werewolf lover._

_Sirius nodded as he subconsciously scooted closer to his boyfriend, ignoring all the stares and whispers. "I'm sure, Remus. I think maybe I should go talk to Regulus, make sure he's ok," Sirius said with a deep frown._

_Remus nodded and leaned in, kissing Sirius gently on the lips. The few cat calls and wolf whistles that followed made him blush even deeper, but he only had eyes for Sirius. "Ok, go on. I'll go talk to Dumbledore about accompanying you after breakfast is over."_

_Sirius smiled sadly at Remus and kissed him once more before getting up and walking quickly out of the Hall. It didn't take him very long to find Regulus, who was sitting at the bottom of the spiral staircase with his head in his hands. "Reg, are you alright?" Sirius asked quietly as he crouched down in front of his brother._

_Regulus gave a mighty sniff and wiped his eyes as he looked up at Sirius. "I just wanted to say goodbye, Siri…I didn't get to say goodbye…" he choked, fresh tears sliding down his cheeks._

_Sirius felt his heart ache and leaned forward, pulling Regulus into the first hug they'd shared since they were little. "I know, Reg…It's ok…" he whispered as he let his brother sob into his shoulder. He rubbed the smaller boy's back soothingly, letting a few tears of his own trickle down his cheeks. _

_That night he, Regulus, and Remus all traveled by floo to the Black Mansion in London. His mother had begrudgingly allowed Remus to accompany Sirius after much persuading from Dumbledore. His skin crawled as he gave the password to enter his room – "Slytherin sucks!" – and led Remus in._

"_I hate this place…I never wanted to come back here," Sirius snapped as he plopped down on his abandoned bed. He smirked at all the pictures and posters that still clung to his walls; permanent sticking charms were wonderful things._

_Remus sunk down onto the bed beside Sirius, smiling lightly at the extremely Gryffindor surroundings in a house that clearly screamed Slytherin. "We'll only be here one night, and then we're back at Hogwarts tomorrow night. You'll be fine, Sirius. Let's just sleep, ok?" Remus said as he wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and pulled him close._

_Sirius leaned over and kissed Remus gently on the lips, running a hand through the werewolf's golden locks as he deepened the kiss with his tongue. He slowly pushed Remus down onto the bed and crawled carefully on top of him. "I have a better idea in mind…"_

"_Clearly..." Remus breathed against Sirius' lips as he pulled the Animagus close to him, his semi-hard erection pushing lightly against Sirius' leg. "Should we be doing this here?" Remus asked as Sirius began to kiss his neck._

_Sirius sat up long enough to pull his shirt off and coax Remus out of his own, gasping as the warm flesh of their chests touched. "Here's as good a place as any. Plus, I want to leave my bed with a parting gift," Sirius chuckled as he licked the curve of Remus' collar bone._

_Remus bit his lip as he laughed at Sirius' reasoning. He ran his hands down the curve of the Animagus' spine, loving how his skin broke out in goose-bumps. "Put the wards up at least, Padfoot…" Remus muttered as Sirius moved further and further down his chest with soft kisses._

_Sirius pulled away long enough to twirl his wand and mutter a few spells, then turned back to his boyfriend. He yanked the button open and pulled the zipper down on Remus' pants, impatiently tugging them off of the werewolf. He smirked at the large bulge in Remus' boxers as he rubbed the tender skin of his lover's thighs teasingly. _

_Remus squirmed as Sirius teased him, pushing his hips up to show his need. "Please, Sirius…" he whimpered, his whole body trembling as Sirius dipped his tongue to trace his navel. _

_Sirius looked up at Remus, his smirk becoming even more devilish as he saw how hot and bothered the werewolf was. He left a love bite on Remus' abs before sliding the silky red material of his boxers down his lover's hips. "Please what, Moony? Manners get you nowhere without a proper request," Sirius said silkily before blowing lightly on Remus' pulsing cock._

_Remus bite his lip as a groan escaped him, his hips jerking up towards Sirius' smirking mouth. "Please stop teasing me and just fucking _do_ it already!" Remus pleaded as his chest heaved with heavy pants._

_Sirius felt his cock twitch at the raw sound of Remus' plea. He was feeling particularly kinky for some reason, and was enjoying this torture a little too much. "Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty, Moony." Sirius grasped his lover's cock and gave it a few strokes before leaning down and taking almost the whole length into his mouth. He flicked his tongue across the tip of Remus' cock, tasting the salty pre-cum that leaked from it. _

_Remus let out a long moan and his pushed his hips up to meet Sirius' warm mouth, clutching onto the bed sheets for support. He bit down so hard on his lip he started to taste blood. "Fuck…Sirius…" he panted, encouraging Sirius to speed up._

_Sirius moved his hand on the base of Remus' cock in rhythm with his lips, sliding his tongue up and down the sensitive underside. He let Remus thrust into his mouth, taking him as far in as he could without upsetting his gag reflex. He felt Remus tense and let out a loud groan, his hands wove into Sirius' hair, and kept sucking, swallowing all of his lover's seed. Sirius pulled away and moved up on the bed, placing a gentle kiss on Remus' lips, his own erection pulsing almost painfully in the confine of his pants. "Think this is what we should be doing now?" Sirius asked teasingly as he traced the scars across Remus' chest with his fingers._

_Remus chuckled and licked his lips, tasting his own tangy flavor there after Sirius' kiss. He felt himself getting hard once more as he saw the well-endowed tent in Sirius' trousers, aching to feel his lover inside him. "I'm positive; now fuck me," Remus said huskily as he pulled Sirius down and kissed him hard on the mouth. Using his extra allotted strength, he rolled Sirius over and straddled the Animagus' hips, grounding himself against Sirius' erection. Remus hastily undid Sirius' pants and pulled them as well as his boxers off, throwing them to the side to join all of the other abandoned clothing. He leaned down and kissed Sirius passionately, feeling a little more confident and wildly aroused than normal._

_Sirius couldn't believe how bloody sexy Remus was when being aggressive. He felt a tingle run through his body as his hairs stood up, trembling lightly underneath the werewolf. "Mmm…Moony, I like this side of you," Sirius muttered against Remus lips, pushing his hips up to meet his lovers'._

_Remus moved down to suck and nibble on Sirius' neck, his bites a bit more sharp than was usual. He groaned as Sirius' cock rubbed against his own, making him writhe against the raven haired teen. Remus grabbed his wand off of the sheets next to Sirius' head and performed the lubricating spell on Sirius and himself before grasping his lover's cock firmly and stroking it a few times. "I think I like it, too." Remus lifted himself up and placed Sirius' cock at his entrance, lowering himself slowly and gently onto the burning flesh. He moaned loudly as he was filled completely by the Animagus._

_Sirius bit his lip and groaned loudly as Remus lowered himself onto his cock. This was definitely something new, and Sirius loved it so far. He'd never experienced Remus as a dominate bottom, but he sure wanted to experience it a lot more now. He placed his hands on Remus' hips, breathing heavily as the werewolf started to slide up and down, riding him slowly at first, then speeding up as that special spot was found and hit over and over again. Sirius could feel his climax building fast, though he never wanted this to stop. He began to thrust up to meet Remus, resulting in a loud moan from his lover that almost sent him over the edge. "Holy shit, Remus!" _

_Remus leaned over and attacked Sirius' mouth with his own, teeth clashing and tongues wrestling in a sloppy kiss as they thrust against each other. He gasped as Sirius grabbed his cock and began stroking it along in the fast rhythm they had created with their hips. He let out a loud, animalistic growl as he came spectacularly on Sirius' hand and stomach. _

_Sirius followed not long after, pounding himself into Remus as he reached his climax deep within his lover. Sirius caught Remus as he collapsed against his chest, both breathing as though they had just run a marathon and so limp it seemed like their bones had liquefied. "Fucking…hell…That was amazing," Sirius breathed against Remus' neck as his heart rate started to slow down._

_Remus nodded lazily and snuggled against Sirius. "That was the best shag of my life…" Remus muttered against Sirius' sweaty flesh. He'd never been one for dominance when it came to sex, but after that, he was seriously reconsidering. "We should take a shower then get some sleep. We have to be up early for the fu – er…We have to be up early," Remus said, trying not to ruin the sated mood._

_Sirius felt a slight twinge in his stomach as he remembered again where he was and why he was there. He's never been particularly close to his father, but he still felt a big sense of loss as he realized he would never see his father again; under any circumstances. He let out a heavy sigh and kissed the top of Remus' head. "Yeah…Let's take a shower."_

_Remus got up off of Sirius and used his wand to do a semi-clean up job before helping his lover up and pulling him close for a kiss. He brushed a lock of hair out of Sirius' saddened eyes and frowned at the Animagus, feeling horrible for his boyfriend's loss. "Are you all right, Sirius?" he asked quietly, gently caressing Sirius' cheek._

_Sirius gulped down the knot in his throat, unable to make eye contact with Remus. The fact was he wasn't all right, and he didn't think he could hide it anymore. He shook his head very slowly, cursing the tears that stung at his eyes and began to spill over onto his cheeks. He turned his gray eyes towards Remus' blazing gold ones and saw sympathy, love, and care shining through. His bottom lip trembled as he let out a slow breath, the tears sliding down his cheeks and falling on his chest. "No…I'm not."_

_Remus kissed Sirius on the forehead before pulling his boyfriend close and wrapping his arms tightly around him. He caressed the warm flesh of Sirius' back and nuzzled his neck as Sirius cried into his shoulder. "It's ok, love…I'm here. I love you, Sirius…" Remus whispered to the Animagus._

_Sirius let loose all the pent up tears of frustration at not being told that his father was ill, of anger at his mother for treating it as though it was some sort of punishment to him, of sadness for the loss of his father, and of sheer exhaustion and grief. He clung tightly to Remus as his body shook with sobs. It was going to be a long night…_

"…_and may his soul rest amongst the spirits of the many pure wizards who have gone before him."_

_Remus tightened his grip on Sirius' hand as the two men standing beside the casket began to lower it slowly into the freshly dug earth – using their wands of course. He was worried about Sirius' stony silence throughout the funeral, a bit surprised that he had yet to shed a tear since the night previous. He didn't even know the man, and yet he still felt immensely saddened by his death. Sympathy, some would call it – but Remus knew what it was like to lose a parent._

_Sirius was staring across the casket at his mother, who was enveloped in Regulus' arms, sobbing into a handkerchief and draped in elaborate black lace. She looked the image of a mourning widow as she clung tightly to her son's robes. Sirius was smarter than that however; he knew his mother wasn't mourning the loss of her husband, but celebrating her new freedom. The Black family fortune belonged solely to her now, at least until she snuffed it too – then it would be his._

"…_Sirius? Are you alright? It's over, we're going back for the reception at your house now- "_

"_No, we're not. I have no desire to be surrounded by members of my family for another bloody second, Remus. I want to go back to Hogwarts; I did my job, paid my respects. I'm done," Sirius said firmly as he frowned at his boyfriend._

_Remus frowned back, a look of sadness overtaking his features as he struggled with himself not to try to dissuade Sirius. "Whatever you want, Sirius. But we still need to get our things from your house if we're going back to school. And perhaps you should let your mother know that we're leaving."_

_Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out two tiny, palm sized replicas of wooden Hogwarts trunks. "No need, I came prepared. She won't give a __shite__ about me leaving. Let's just apparate to Hogsmeade and walk up to the school, ok?"_

_Remus was torn between exasperation at the Animagus' resourcefulness and deep sadness for the obvious discomfort his lover was experiencing. He had no right to force Sirius to face his family, and in all truthfulness, he had no desire to. "Ok. Let's at least tell Regulus so he can tell your mother if she asks, alright? Just Regulus," Remus pleaded as he gripped Sirius' arm in a comforting gesture. _

_Sirius let out a frustrated sigh and frowned at the werewolf, but nodded eventually. "Ok, just Regulus. I'll go find him, stay here." Sirius moved away into the crowd of mourning witches and wizards, looking for the slightly shorter, slightly darker version of himself that was his younger brother. He spotted the younger boy trying to peel himself away from a sobbing cousin. "Reg, come here. I need a word," Sirius said forcefully as he pried the distraught cousin away and began to drag Regulus along with him._

_Regulus allowed himself to be drug away from the ridiculously sobbing girl and scowled slightly at his brother. "What is it? I need to find mum and help her apparate home, she can't do it alone," Regulus snapped as he glanced around for his mother._

_Sirius frowned at his little brother and shook his head. "You're only fifteen, you don't have a license yet."_

_Regulus snorted and raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "Since when did you give a fuck about breaking the law? You've been apparating without a license since you were twelve. If you're so damn concerned you can side-along with mum," Regulus said in an annoyed voice._

_Sirius rolled his eyes. "I have a license now, little bro. I turned seventeen months ago. Anyways, you'll have to break the law to get dear old mother home; I'm going back to Hogwarts with Remus."_

_Regulus scoffed. "_Now_? You can't! I can't handle all these damn people by myself, Sirius! You know mum is just going to blubber around the house the whole time, and it's your responsibility to be the host as the eldest son!" he argued, poking Sirius roughly in the chest as if it was all his fault that Regulus was not the eldest instead._

_Sirius smacked Regulus' hand away and glared at the shorter boy. "I seem to remember the last thing father ever said to me being something like 'You're no son of mine. Get out of my house and never darken my family's doorstep again.' So, Regulus, you're not only the eldest son, you're the _only_ son. I'm leaving; tell mother I wish her many days and nights of tears." Sirius turned away from his brother and walked quickly back over to Remus, who was frowning deeply at him._

"_Are you sure you want to go ba- "_

"_I'm sure, Remus! Let's go, now." Sirius took hold of Remus' hand and turned on the spot, sending his brother one last contemptuous look before the feeling of being sucked through a tight tube consumed them completely._

Remus was sitting on the ledge of the window, wearing nothing but pajama bottoms and holding a half smoked cigarette next to the cracked opening. The wind that blew in was icy and stung his bare skin, but he didn't mind; he liked the cold. The soft white snowflakes falling from the sky skirted the dead and barren yard down below and made the run-down neighborhood look like a pleasant winter wonderland; it was anything but. Remus put the cigarette to his lips and took a long drag, watching the flame burn bright then dim once more as he flick the ashes off and blew the smoke out slowly through his nose.

"Mmm, you're sexy when you're half naked and smoking. But since when did you smoke?" Sirius whispered in Remus' ear as he rested his chin on the werewolf's shoulder and hugged him from behind.

Remus jumped slightly, as he hadn't heard Sirius get up or walk over at all. He took the last drag of his cigarette then snubbed it out on the edge of the window and tossed the butt down to the icy sea of snow below. "_Christ_, Sirius…You scared me. I don't usually smoke, but I had the strongest craving for one after I read this," Remus said dryly as he held up a slightly crumbled scroll of parchment.

Sirius took the parchment and smoothed it out to read it. His eyes narrowed as he scanned down the paper and his scowl increased as he reached the end. "'A more suitable teacher'? Who's more suitable than you!? You're a bloody genius _and_ a werewolf, just like their daughter! This is rubbish; you should confront Dumbledore about it right away. Without you, this girl has no chance of making it into second year," Sirius said firmly as he handed the re-crumpled letter back to his lover.

Remus looked surprised as he took the letter back and threw it unceremoniously on the ledge in front of him. "You seem so passionate about it, Padfoot. Wasn't it you who threw a fit and made me feel like shit for wanting to take the job in the first place?" Remus said shortly with an intense gaze.

Sirius frowned and sat down on the ledge across from Remus. "Yeah, well…I was wrong, alright? This girl has as much right to go to school as anyone else and she needs your help to do it. I was being selfish, Remus, and I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly as he pulled his knees up to his chest.

Remus sighed and shook his head slowly before leaning forward and kissing Sirius gently on the lips. "You're forgiven. No need to fret anymore, though. I just hope she gets in, no matter who teaches her. Have you heard back from Harry yet about coming to stay for Christmas?" Remus asked, trying to change the subject, as it made him want to smoke more.

Sirius looked sheepish as he shook his head. "Well, no…But that's because I haven't asked him yet," Sirius admitted as he picked up the pack of smokes by the window and took one for himself. He used the tip of his wand to light it before taking a long drag and blowing out perfectly round smoke rings.

Remus raised an eyebrow at the Animagus as he flapped his hands around to move the smoke away from himself. "Why not? You told me last week that you were going to ask him."

Sirius squirmed a bit and blew out some smoke, away from Remus this time. "Well I wanted to, but…what if he doesn't, you know…want to?" Sirius said slowly as though he was picking his words carefully.

Remus looked even more confused now as he took the cigarette from Sirius and took a drag before handing it back. "Why wouldn't he, Sirius?" he asked curiously.

Sirius sighed heavily as he put out the cigarette the same way Remus had and tossed the butt out. "Maybe he wouldn't want to stay here because of…well because of – _us_," Sirius said quietly as he avoided Remus' gaze and looked out at the steadily falling snow instead.

Remus cocked his head to the side like a curious dog and poked Sirius gently on the arm. "Do you think he's uncomfortable with us being lovers?" he asked knowingly as a small smile was forming at the corners of his mouth.

Sirius frowned even deeper as he caught sight of Remus' expression. "Is it such a ridiculous fear, Rem? Just because some people accept our life style doesn't mean everyone will. Maybe Harry was just putting up with it until he could get away from us. Maybe he really hates us for it…hates _me_," Sirius croaked, trying to hide his surge of emotion by conspicuously rubbing the wetness from his eyes.

"Oh Padfoot, you silly mutt. I guarantee you that Harry had figured us out _long_ before you told him. He's James' and Lily's son, Sirius! He's very intelligent, and we weren't exactly shy during our original reunion. I could see it in their faces; all three of those children knew that was more than a friendly hug we shared in the Shrieking Shack. I know from experience with being Harry's teacher that he's is generally very straight forward, just like Lily was. If he had a problem with us being lovers, he would have told us. I'm sure he would like nothing more than to spend Christmas here with us instead of alone at school like he normally does. In fact, the whole Weasley family might even spend Christmas here!" Remus assured the Animagus with a wide smile and a nudge of his leg.

Sirius sighed as he thought it all over. It would make sense that the Weasley's might stay at Headquarters for Christmas instead of the Burrow; they had stayed for the summer holidays after all. Harry had seemed very happy when Sirius had spilled the beans about his relationship with Remus, and had even admitted that he had already suspected. Sirius suddenly realized that his fears were unfounded and downright stupid; Harry _belonged_ with them for Christmas. Sirius stood up quickly and walked over to the desk beside their bed. "I'm going to write to Harry now and ask him to come for Christmas," he said excitedly as he dipped a quill in ink and started scratching away at a piece of parchment.

Remus beamed as he watched Sirius write, feeling his spirits rise for the first time since reading that letter…The letter he had written himself and purposely showed Sirius as an excuse not to leave him alone _ever_ again.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

**A/N:** I hope that was worth the wait! Please review and let me know if it was worth it or not! THANKS!


	22. From One Extreme To The Other

**A/N:** I've run out of creative ways to write the disclaimer, so I've decided that it's common knowledge and will not be restated, lol. In other news, WOO AN UPDATE! Sorry that it's been taking me so horribly long to update, real life issues suck! I hope you enjoy this chapter! The end is so close I can TASTE IT!

**WARNING:** Lots of needless cussing and positively oozing with angst!

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**Ch 22.  
From One Extreme - To The Other**

Remus zipped up the front of his muggle coat, making sure his wand was still safely in the inside pocket. "I'll be back in three days tops. I promise."

"Why the _hell_ should I believe you!? Have you forgotten another promise that you made me?" Sirius asked in a low hiss as he sat with his back to the head board, his knees pulled up to his naked and heaving chest.

Remus ran a hand through his hair in frustration for what must have been the millionth time. "Jesus Christ, Sirius! I would never would have even said it if I knew you were going to throw it in my fucking face every single time I had to leave! The words 'I promise' _never_ left my fucking mouth because I _knew_ I couldn't promise you that! I was upset, hurt, delirious, and you took advantage of the situation by making me say what _you_ wanted to hear! This isn't about you; it's not even about me. It's about the welfare of _everything_ we have worked for so far, and it will inevitably affect _Harry_ in the long run," Remus snapped, finally losing his temper after successfully keeping it at bay for so long. He could only bend backwards for Sirius so long until his spine actually snapped under the pressure.

Sirius stood up abruptly and advanced on the werewolf, angered further by Remus' lack of fear or retreat. "You didn't need to say the _fucking_ words, Remus, they were implied! I took advantage of _nothing_; I was only trying to help protect you! You're right, it's not about _us_; the progress _we_ have made together is shit all to you! So go ahead, save the fucking world from all evil like the fucking _super hero werewolf_ that you are, but don't plan on me playing faithful side kick anymore! If you want to go get yourself killed, be my guest, but I'm sick of sitting here scared and waiting for your return, trying not to imagine the horrors you could be going through! I will not play the scared house-wife anymore! If you leave…don't bother coming back," Sirius whispered the last part, glaring at his…well, what was Remus to him now? _Nothing._

Remus stared at Sirius, the ringing in his ears becoming painfully loud as he realized what Sirius had just said. He had no choice, though he never really did in the first place. He was constantly stuck between a rock and a hard spot and neither Sirius nor Dumbledore seemed to be willing to give him some leeway. He was fucked either way, and this was Sirius' way of giving Remus the ultimate test; '_them or me_?' Remus let the moisture in his eyes glide silently down his cheeks as he felt his heart tear in two, his mind made up long before this charming conversation. _I choose neither… _As he turned to walk away, he heard the strangled sob behind him that almost undid it all. This time he had the choice; move on or stay imprisoned in his own heart? "Goodbye, Padfoot..." Remus took the last few steps at a run and didn't stop until he was all the way outside of the dark, lonely house. It was over, they were _through_.

_PAUSE!_

Let's back up a little, shall we?

_REWIND, PLAY!_

"I'm sorry to wake you so frightfully late, but I'm afraid this is an emergency. We've located a Death Eater hide out, and they seem to have set up a make-shift training grounds for werewolf combat. There are numerous children, mostly muggles, that have been kidnapped and turned by Greyback. I know you told me that you would no longer be taking missions, and I respect that, but given the state of this mission and the people involved, I thought I should give you the option. The team is compromised of Tonks, Kingsley, Charlie, and Moody. Your presence has been requested," Dumbledore explained quickly as he tried to avoid Sirius' death stare with all his might.

Remus felt the panic rising in his chest. He had told Sirius he wouldn't take anymore missions, but this was so important. These children needed his help, and he had been specifically asked for by the rest of the Team. How could he turn this down? "How long would I be gone, Professor?" Remus asked, feeling Sirius tense up beside him.

"Not too terribly long, I presume. I'd say three days at the very most. It is not far from here, surprisingly, and they have very few men there. It is mainly being operated by Greyback and the very same London Clan that you encountered not too long ago. I do not need an answer right now. I will let you think on it for tonight, but I'll need an answer tomorrow. Tonks will be stopping by after her shift; you can tell her your answer then. Goodnight." Dumbledore left the kitchen with a sweep of his dark robes, feeling slightly guilty for the look of anger in Sirius' expression as he was almost completely ignored the whole time.

"You're not going."

"Sirius…"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING!"

"Bloody hell! Just listen to me, alright? I need you to understand where I'm coming from, Sirius, so will you please just hear me out?" Remus asked tiredly as he frowned at his lover.

"Fine, but it's not going to change a _God damn thing_," Sirius growled as he crossed his arms firmly over his chest. How dare Remus try to break his promise – _again_?! Sirius had had enough of his excuses and explanations; they were all the same. Important, emergency, a good opportunity; just a broken promise, a sheep in wolf's clothing – quite literally.

"The Team asked specifically for me. They think I may have some advantage and ability to help these children and raid this hide out to boot. Not only are we getting the children away from Greyback, we could possibly capture him and the other Death Eaters there! This is _important_."

And there it was; that _fucking_ word. Sirius was just waiting for one of them to pop up, and there it was. "It's always _important_, Remus. I'm starting to wonder where your priorities lie, what's really important to you. Obviously not me." Sirius stood up and quickly made his way out of the kitchen, stomping up to his room and not bothering to keep quiet in the hall. He flipped the portrait of his mother off as he walked by while she wailed and screamed obscenities.

"Why is he such a _bitch_ all the time?!" Remus called out to no one in particular, kicking harshly at the leg of the table and then repairing it as the force snapped the leg off. He let off a stream of his own choice swear words before walking up into the hall and shutting the old hag in the portrait up. Upon entering his and Sirius' room, he saw the Animagus sitting angrily on the bed. He moved over to the closet and began to trade his pajamas for muggle clothing, almost able to feel the waves of anger Sirius was emitting.

"Dumbledore said he didn't need an answer until tomorrow. Where are you going?" Sirius asked quietly, barely able to keep the iciness out of his words.

"I need time to think, Sirius. I'm going to go talk to Tonks, ask her more about the mission."

"Yeah, I bet you are."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Remus asked as he turned to stare at Sirius. _Surely_ he wasn't suggesting that Remus would _ever_ do anything more?

"Why can't you ask her when she comes tomorrow?"

"Because I don't want to wait that long to make a decision, Sirius. Really, you're being very irrational."

"Why fucking bother? You've already made up your mind obviously."

Remus pulled on his coat and walked over to the desk where his wand was lying. "No, I haven't, but I am seriously considering it." Remus zipped up the front of his muggle coat, making sure his wand was still safely in the inside pocket. "I'll be back in three days tops. I promise."

_PAUSE!_

Ah, we're all caught up now! Good.

_FAST-FORWARD, PLAY!_

"_Sirius Orion Black! I can't very well move through the portraits if you've got them all cov- "_

Sirius slammed open the bedroom door and strode in, his blood positively boiling with anger. "What the _hell _do you want?" he hissed darkly at the ornate picture frame across from him.

Phineas looked bored as he glared at his descendant. "I've a message from Dumbledore. Arthur Weasley has been badly injured; his children and Harry Potter will be arriving shortly. Is it your wish for them to stay?" he asked, not really caring what his answer was going to be.

Sirius blinked rapidly, confused, but nodded. "Yes of course, tell him to send them on," he told the portrait as a sharp sense of foreboding overtook him. Where would the children show up? Would they come by floo? Sirius ran quickly from the room and down the stairs, heading for the basement kitchen….

The next day, after the Weasley's and Harry had left to visit Arthur in the hospital, Sirius sat in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea and trying to feel happy about his new Christmas guests. There was just one person missing, someone who should have been back by now, considering Tonks, Moody, Charlie, and Kingsley had been to the house already. Sirius hadn't dared ask where Remus was; he was sure the werewolf had told them some version of the break up. Sirius nearly slopped tea down his front as the kitchen door flew suddenly open.

"Kreacher, put it down! NOT THERE! OUCH, YOU LITTLE SHI- "

"Stupid half-breed ordering Kreacher to carry his things, then yelling at him when Kreacher so kindly obeys. What would my mistress say to a werewolf in her lovely home?"

Sirius stood up and grabbed Kreacher by the dirty loin cloth, bodily throwing him out of the kitchen and turning back towards Remus, who was rubbing his bruised shin with a frown.

"Stupid elf. I didn't even ask him to help; he just ran up and took off with my bag! There are ten heavy books in there, and they don't feel pleasant when drop unceremoniously on your leg." Remus looked up at Sirius, who was staring at him with a blank expression. _You're not giving me much to work with here, Sirius…_

"The books are our Christmas gift to Harry, if you remember me telling you about them. I went ahead and bought them since, well, you couldn't. I wanted to bring them to you so you could give them to Harry. I got him something else, so you don't have to include my name on the tag…" Remus trailed off as Sirius turned around and sat down at the table, his back to Remus.

Sirius was trying very hard not to either cry, or start yelling his head off. He was very happy to see Remus whole and healthy, and wanted to do nothing more than hug and kiss him to death. He also had a few other ideas of how he could bring that death about that weren't nearly as pleasant as his hugs or kisses. He felt his heart ache at Remus' words_…so you don't have to include my name on the tag…_ "The books were your idea, it's only right that they should come from you," Sirius said quietly, almost unsure if Remus heard him or not.

"You gave me the gold to pay for them, Sirius, they're yours."

Sirius felt his resolve beginning to unravel like a badly made sweater at the sound of his name rolling off of Remus' tongue. "It doesn't matter, Remus. Put whatever name you like on the tag. I don't- "

"Care anymore?" Remus asked as he walked around the table and looked down at Sirius, who looked dangerously close to tears as he stared down at the scorched and beaten up wood. "This is ridiculous, Sirius. We didn't even break up the time you sold me out to Sniv- Snape," Remus said as he pulled out the chair across from the Animagus and sat down.

Sirius chanced a quick glance at Remus, feeling the old guilt stir a little in the pit of his stomach. "No, you just ignored me for an entire month, that was all," he said, barely above a whisper.

Remus leaned forward and touched Sirius' hand. "Do you blame me? You were a right git, I had every reason to be mad at you- "

"Just like _I_ have every reason to be mad at _you_," Sirius hissed as he pulled his hand out of Remus' reach. "I gave you a choice, you made your decision. So why are you still here?" His words stung like acid-laced bee stings, but the feelings behind them were fake and barely believable.

Remus felt the crack in his heart reopen, not that it had healed very much. So this was really it, they were really separated. "Well I can see this is getting us nowhere, so I came for my clothes and my belongings. I won't be long," Remus said as he stood and headed towards the door of the kitchen.

"Where are you staying?"

"Dora offered to let me stay at her flat until I can figure things out for myself." Remus left, not bothering to wait for Sirius' answer, which would most likely be some form of slander against Tonks. He entered the bedroom with the goal of throwing everything into a bag unceremoniously and getting the hell out of the there as quick as he could. He didn't think he could handle being here for much longer. As he reached the night stand, he glanced at the bed and saw something that caught his eye; a picture. He crossed over to Sirius' side of the bed and picked the picture up off of Sirius' pillow. It was the one of himself as a teenager, sleeping in a very undignified position. There were tear streaks running down the front of the picture, dried at the edge in a salty stain. Remus sat down slowly, staring at the picture as a flood of memories came rushing through his mind. He had waited nearly fourteen years to be with Sirius again, and now it was all over because of something so stupid. It was so unfair, but so fitting for his life. Tears began to slide down his cheeks as he tried to will all the memories away.

"Five days…You promised me three." Sirius was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, frowning over at the crying werewolf.

"You told me not to bother coming back…"

"Funny, I thought you might have made more of an effort to sway my decision. I guess _Dora_ was a better option for you."

"Enough! You know why I was gone two extra days, Sirius? It was the full moon! I didn't have my potion, so I had to transform and lose my sane mind completely. It took Tonks and Moody a full day to find me in the woods, torn up and barely fucking alive! Tonks was going to bring me back here to heal me, but the only words that came out of my mouth before I passed out were 'he said not to come back'. So Tonks took me to her place because I had nowhere else to go. But of course that never crossed your mind! You probably didn't even know it was the full moon because you were too busy worrying about me being near Tonks! I'm as gay as they come, Sirius, you're a bloody fool for thinking I'd _ever_ think of Dora as more than a friend! You're such an idiot sometimes!" Remus was not sure when he had stood up, or when he had gotten so close to Sirius, but the anger that welled up in his chest exploded as he pushed Sirius away from him, into the hallway, and against the wall.

"Bloody hell, Remus! I think you broke my- " Sirius was cut off by Remus forcefully kissing him, he arms pinned against the wall by the werewolf's strength. To add insult to injury, Sirius was extremely turned on by the exhibition. He melted into Remus' arms, trying to make as much contact with his lover as he possibly could. "Remus…" he muttered against the werewolf's lips.

"I waited fourteen _years_ for you, and you can't even wait five _days_ for me." Remus let go of Sirius and began to walk away before he felt his wrist being held.

"Please…Don't leave. I'm sorry, Moony…I love you…" Sirius whispered. He was shaking with suppressed emotion, trying so hard to not yell or cry. He'd been so stupid, so selfish, but after spending so much time alone he was afraid to be left alone again after being in Remus' company. He loved Remus with every fibre of his being and he had overreacted. He was human, he made mistakes…too many to count.

Remus felt his heart ache at Sirius' pleading. If he wanted to keep his pride and stand up for himself, he would turn and leave right away, not giving Sirius another glance. But he didn't give a fuck about pride and dignity; he wanted _Sirius_. "Sirius this can't work if you expect me to stay here with you twenty-four seven. I have an obligation to the Order and to Harry to help protect him. It's unfair that you can't do the same, but you shouldn't keep me from doing what I can to help. I will always come back to you if I have the ability, I promise you that. I've been through hell out there, nearly dying on numerous occasions, but I've always come back to you. That won't change, ever. I love you; always have, always will," Remus explained as he pulled Sirius a bit closer and gently cupped his lover's cheek.

Sirius nodded slowly as his bottom lip trembled. He felt a foreboding that didn't settle well in the pit of his stomach. He knew something was going to go wrong, something was going to keep them apart, and it was going to happen soon. Out of fear of not spending the time he had left with Remus – _with Remus, _he kissed the werewolf gently on the lips and wrapped his arms around the taller man. "Ok…You can leave when you need to, as long as you always come back to me. I love you too, Moony…"

RSRSRSRS

It was a couple of days later, and the Christmas cheer throughout Grimmauld Place was almost appalling. Sirius was overjoyed to have so many guests in the house for Christmas and was determined to make it a wonderful holiday. He was currently lying at the foot of his and Remus' bed, trying to wrap a present for one of the Weasley kids and fighting with the sticky stuff that looked like spell-o-tape.

"Sirius, what _are_ you doing?"

"This stuff keeps sticking to everything except the stuff I want it to stick to!" Sirius exclaimed as he began to tangle himself in with the tape and ripped wrapping paper.

Remus chuckled as he leaned over and helped Sirius rescue his hands from the tangled mess. "You're hopeless, Padfoot. I'll wrap it tomorrow, just finish putting the tags on the ones I've already wrapped," Remus advised, turning back to his pile of research and sighing.

Sirius frowned at his lover and sat up, admiring the determination in the werewolf's eyes. "Moony?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember that Joining of the Souls ceremony Lily told us about when she was planning hers and James' wedding?" Sirius asked quickly.

Remus looked slightly bemused but nodded all the same. "Yes, I remember. Sirius, what are you on about?" he asked with a confused frown. He sat his papers aside, realizing that this could be a very important conversation.

"Let's do it. I would ask you to marry me, but that's not exactly what we'd be doing. Not to mention its illegal," Sirius said with a cheeky smile.

Remus just stared at Sirius, his mouth slightly open. "We've talked about this before, Sirius…You know I want nothing more than to spend forever with you, but announcing it is out of the question for my situation. I guess it is for you as well, considering you're on the run from the Ministry. Sirius, what made you think about this again?"

Sirius sighed. "Just spending forever with you is not enough for me. I want people to know how much I love you. It doesn't have to be announced or be a public event at all. Just close friends and family, that's all that we need. All we need is two witnesses to join us. Please, Remus. I want this so bad. If we schedule this for oh let's say, two weeks from now, everyone would still be here on holiday," Sirius said with a sly smirk.

A slow smile began to trace its way across Remus' lips. "Perhaps Tonks and Snape can go dress shopping with me!" Remus joked with a snort of laughter.

Sirius frowned and smacked Remus on the shoulder. "I'm serious, Rem. For all intents and purposes, will you marry me?" Sirius asked, feeling like he should kneel or take Remus' hand or do _something_ other than stare at him from across the bed.

Remus was momentarily stunned. "I-I…Sirius…Well…As long as it's just friends and family…Yes, I'll '_marry_' you," Remus said with a soft chuckle.

Sirius launched himself at Remus, nearly knocking the werewolf over with his enthusiastic embrace and passionate kisses. He pulled away from his lover, a huge grin on his face. "We've got work to do, Moony-my-love. I don't even know if it's possible for two gay wizards to pull off a wedding in only two weeks!"

"Fear not; for you have not yet seen the height of my gayness, Padfoot! Would you hate it if I asked Tonks to help? We could possibly get all the kids in on it too; they were wicked helpful with the cleaning over the summer you know," Remus said, holding the Animagus close.

Sirius thought for a second then nodded his consent. "Sure. But I claim Harry as my Best Man and witness! Now you need to pick one," Sirius exclaimed, sneaking in a quick kiss.

Remus groaned, though he had fully expected that. "Since I seem to be the bride in the relationship, perhaps I should pick a Maid of Honour? I'm quite fond of Hermione; she reminds me of a female version of myself."

"_You_ remind me of a female version of yourself."

"HEY!"

The pillow fight that ensued was worthy of their Hogwarts years, when the feathers would fly and the beds were torn to pieces in a raucous four-way Marauder fight. The two middle age men hadn't felt this young in years, and probably would never be this close to their youth again. After nearly twenty long years, Padfoot and Moony were finally tying the knot.

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A/N: Now that you all want to kill me, then subsequently kiss me following the end of the chapter, PLEASE REVIEW! I wasn't too sure about the 'wedding' idea and I'd like some encouragement/ideas about it. Thanks for reading! Ciao!


	23. I'm Forever Yours, Faithfully

**DISCLAIMER: **The song _Only Time_ is property of Enya, and the song _Faithfully_ is property of Steve Perry and Journey. Go download/listen to these songs! I find it helps if you listen to them while reading the parts of the chapter they star in, lol.

**A/N: **Wow this was the most fun chapter to write EVER! I was so into it I didn't stop writing until I was finished! This is the longest chapter yet, simply because I didn't want to split it up since it's all basically one theme. I cried ridiculously hard while writing this chapter! It's almost over! Only a few chapters to go and my precious baby will finally be complete…I hope you enjoy this chapter and give me lots of feedback on it!

**WARNING: **Get your tissues ready! This is a tear-jerker full of fluff and sappy love. Ye be warned!

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**Ch 23.  
I'm Forever Yours, Faithfully**

"You're WHAT!?"

"Shh, Harry! Well Remus wanted to go all out and make invitations and everything, but I didn't really see the need, seeing as everyone who's going to be there will be helping put it together. We're going to announce it at dinner tonight so don't tell anyone! I just wanted you to be the first to know," Sirius was sitting amongst a pile of ripped wrapping paper and gleaming gifts on Harry's bed.

Harry was still staring dumb-founded at his godfather. The news Sirius had just broken to him was a shock, but a good one at least. "You're getting married? Sirius, this is...well its _serious_!" Harry exclaimed with a wide grin.

Sirius chuckled as he beamed at his godson. "Well, we're not technically getting married, that's illegal unfortunately. It's called a Joining of The Souls Ceremony. I actually got the idea from your mum. She encouraged Remus and I to do it when she was absorbed in planning her own wedding with your dad. Remus and I decided it wasn't such a great idea, however, because of his inability to hold down a job because of his affliction. Announcing that he was a _gay_ werewolf would only make things harder for him, and I didn't want to be a burden," Sirius explained, frowning slightly at the thought. It was all true, yes, but it still saddened him to think of keeping Remus from getting a good job and being happy.

Harry crumpled a piece of wrapping paper and threw it up in the, catching it as it fell back down. He repeated the motion as he studied Sirius' face. "So what changed, why do it now if you couldn't do it then? Remus is still a werewolf, and it all honesty, things would be worse considering you're an escaped convict. Poor Lupin, he just has awful luck," Harry chuckled.

Sirius smiled appreciatively at the tussle-haired boy. The throwing and catching of the crumpled paper reminded Sirius a lot of James and the stupid snitch he use to mess about with. It made him very glad that he had his late best friends' son by his side, even if James couldn't be there himself. "Hey now, be nice! Well, nothing has changed really, but it's just going to be a very small, private ceremony. Only friends and family are allowed and we'll _of course_ have to have it here." Sirius didn't mean to sound so bitter, but alas, there it was.

"So you want everyone to help with setting it up, then? The girls will be ecstatic I bet. Ron and the twins not so much, though. Have you told Molly?" Harry asked, getting a bit excited in spite of himself.

Sirius shook his head as he examined the series of books he and Remus had given to Harry as a Christmas present. "You're the very first to know. I was hoping to kind of...receive your blessing, if you will. Though I would have gone through with it whether you wanted to let me or not," Sirius jibbed, pushing Harry lightly and receiving a smile from the young boy.

Harry felt highly honored that Sirius would think to ask his permission to marry Remus. He had never felt so important to his godfather. "Well have no fear, Sirius, because you have my blessing. I'd like nothing more than to see you two get married. You both deserve some happiness," Harry said firmly as he smiled softly at the Animagus.

Sirius felt a sudden surge of emotion as he couldn't help but whole-heartedly agree with what Harry said. He gently squeezed Harry's shoulder as he fought back the moisture in his eyes, feeling no shame in letting his godson see his emotion, but not wanting to shed any more tears. "Thanks, Harry. Your parents would be so proud of you, you know that, right? The wonderful person you've turned out to be would make James and Lily the happiest parents on the planet. I know _I'm _very honored to be the godfather of someone so wonderful," Sirius admitted, letting a tear fall as Harry's eyes clouded with tears.

The young raven-haired boy launched himself into Sirius' arms, hugging him tightly and letting a few tears slide down his cheeks. "And I'm honored to be your godson…" Harry whispered into Sirius' shaggy hair.

RSRSRSRS

Sirius sat beside Remus at the magically extended table, exchanging nervous glances and shy smiles with his lover every few minutes. The only other person at the table who knew the reason for their strange behavior was Harry, and he was having a hard time hiding his excitement as well.

As the dinner began, the noise level escalated to near deafening proportions. The little basement kitchen had never had so many people in it at once, and only the closeness of the friends and family within could explain why they weren't all running for the door, suffering from claustrophobia.

Molly, Arthur, Charlie, Tonks, Fred, George, and Ginny all sat on one side of the table, while Remus, Sirius, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Bill, and Kingsley sat on the other. At one end sat Dumbledore, and the other sat Mad-Eye Moody. Everyone was chatting merrily while trading and passing dishes, scooping up seconds and thirds, and basking in the glow of the warm fire and the love that simply gushed from the people. It seemed like the perfect setting for Sirius' and Remus' announcement.

After they had all had their filling of the pie, pudding, and tarts, everyone started to get dreary eyed and comfortably lazy. Remus turned to look at his lover, who was almost exploding with suppressed excitement. The werewolf slowly stood from his seat, already agreed with Sirius that he would make the initial announcement. He let out a slow, long breath while he waited for everyone to turn towards him, some confused, some mildly interested.

"I hope everyone has enjoyed this wonderful meal prepared mostly by Molly, Ginny, and Hermione with tid bits of help from others." There was an appreciative laugh and collective affirmative nods all around. "This has been one of the most wonderful Christmases I have ever experienced, and I'm very glad to have shared it with you all. What makes it even more special, is that Sirius got to celebrate Christmas for the first time in a very long time in the presence of those he loves and cares about, and vice versa. As some of you may or may not know, Sirius and I have been not only best friends, but lovers since our Hogwarts days. Spending those nearly fourteen years without him by my side was inexplicably hard and trying, and Sirius and I have decided that it is time to let, not the world, but our close friends and family know just how much we love each other. In place of being married, because such thing is still fretfully against the law, we have decided to have a Joining of The Souls Ceremony. It is not exactly equal to a wedding, but means the same thing in our eyes and our hearts. We would like nothing more than to have you all here to witness our Joining. So, for all intents and purposes," Remus looked down at Sirius, who was beaming with tears in his eyes, "Sirius and I are tying the knot!"

Sirius stood quickly and pulled Remus into a tight embrace as Harry cheered and wolf whistled, the others joining in after a brief shocked silence. Some of the guests had not even known about the two men being gay, though most of them had of course suspected.

Sirius grinned as he kissed Remus deeply, holding the man close to him. "You have such a way with words, Moony. I would have just said the last sentence and been done with it! I had no idea you had prepared a speech," Sirius said quietly as he chuckled.

Remus laughed as he couldn't help but allow his smile to take over his face. "That's why we agreed that I break the news and not you, Padfoot. And no speech was prepared; the words just simply…flowed out."

"Ponce."

"Princess."

"This is so wonderful! Are you going to treat it as if it were like a wedding? Oh I'd love to help with decorations and food and your robes and everything else! I've never planned a wedding before, Arthur and I simply eloped," Molly blushed lightly as she beamed at Sirius and Remus.

Remus laughed and nodded at the over-excited woman. "Of course we'd like your help, Molly. We will be treating it as if it were an actual wedding, but there's just one catch; we've planned it for two weeks from yesterday so that the children will still be here on holiday and be able to attend as well," Remus said, slightly amused by Molly's horrified expression.

"Two weeks!? Well, we better get busy! Everyone is going to help, no ifs, ands, or buts! I'll have to sit down with you two and talk about exactly what you guys want and see if I can't make it all happen. Oh, I'm all a dither!" Molly exclaimed as she clutched a napkin to her mouth and choked out a sob.

Everyone around the table was smiling and staring at Remus and Sirius, who were still wrapped tightly around each other and staring into each other's eyes. Hermione and Ginny were both leaning towards each other, already plotting decorating ideas and what they were going to wear, while the twins were cracking jokes about the 'mutts' finally biting the bullet, all in good fun of course. Ron was looking slightly put out about having to help, and Harry was beaming at his godfather and mentor.

"Oh! I almost forgot; Sirius and I have also decided on a wedding party of sorts, and we'd like to ask you all now since you're all here already. Because it is a 'witness only' Joining, we'll need two witnesses to co-sign the Joining document and help perform the Ceremony, which will be thoroughly explained. I've chosen Hermione as my witness," Remus said as he looked over to Hermione, whose jaw dropped as tears glistened in her golden-brown eyes.

Sirius turned to Harry, who was smirking knowingly at his godfather. "And I have chosen Harry to be my witness."

"Oh, Remus! Of course I'll do it!" Hermione said with a watery smile. She had never thought that her past teacher and role model had been so fond of her as to consider her to be part of his wedding. It was shocking to say the least.

"Glad as ever, of course." was Harry's answer from beside a very emotional, yet happy Hermione.

"We'd like Ginny and Ron to present the rings and the twins to serve as ushers to lead people to their seats, even though there won't be many people," said Sirius as he looked around the room at all the smiling people.

"And we'd like Dumbledore to perform the Joining, with help from Harry and Hermione," Remus added, beaming over at the old and elaborately dressed wizard.

"I would be delighted to perform the Joining and am honored I should be asked," Dumbledore said as he inclined his head towards Sirius and Remus, his eyes twinkling with emotion.

"Yeah, we'll do it, right Ron?" Ginny said as she kicked Ron under the table, who scowled but nodded.

"Yeah, sure."

"We'd be honored,"

"To serve as ushers," the twins said, both trying to look suave and important with their noses high in the air and their collars pulled tight.

Everyone laughed and the excitement in the air was palpable as people began to stand and yawn, a general consensus agreeing that dinner was now over.

"I love you, Remus Lupin," Sirius purred as he pulled Remus close to him while most everyone filed out of the kitchen.

"And I love you, Sirius Black, or should I say Sirius Black-Lupin?" Remus said with a soft chuckle.

Sirius laughed and kissed Remus firmly on the lips. "I think Remus Lupin-Black sounds better. Besides, you're the wife in the wedding party, remember?"

"Frilly mutt."

"Sexy wolf."

"Ugh, really, I could have gone my whole life without having to hear any of that!" Harry exclaimed jokingly from behind his godfather and mentor.

Sirius laughed as he pulled away from Remus and pulled Harry into a rib-cracking hug and ruffled his already unruly hair. "Get use to it, Harry dear. Now we're not only going to be an old couple, we're going to be an old _married_ couple. Moony will start walking around in a bath robe and painting his nails while I sit around in my boxers and read the paper," Sirius whispered to Harry, though it was loud enough for Remus to hear as he was still standing close.

"Sirius! I do _not_ paint my nails! I get them manicured," Remus said with a smirk as Harry doubled over in laughter.

The three men stood in the kitchen, laughing and smiling together feeling happier than ever before. It was definitely one of the most wonderful Christmases _ever_.

RSRSRSRS

"Remus! The flowers are here, where do you want me to put them for now?" Ron called up the stairs to Remus, who was in Harry's room getting treated to a makeover by Ginny and Hermione. He had gone begrudgingly, but really, he _loved_ it. Wow, he really was frightfully gay.

"Just have them put in the drawing room for now, Ron," Remus answered as Ginny trimmed his hair and Hermione manicured his nails.

The portrait of Sirius' mother had been put under fifteen different silencing charms by three different people and her curtains were closed with chains wrapped around the frame and tightened with a padlock. _Nothing_ was going to ruin Moony and Padfoot's special day.

"George, fix that silk curtain over there, it's not quite as high as the one on the left. Tonks love, would you be a doll and conjure up a few more chairs? There's going to be a few more guests than expected. Oh and make sure one of them is fit for Hagrid please. Oh Fred, the rug looks wonderful, but it's upside down, dear; the point goes towards the door and the circular part is where Remus and Sirius will be standing. Fix it, please. Ron, just leave those flowers here, we're going to start putting them up after the hangings are fixed," Molly barked all these orders out with a wide smile and a happy skip in her step, walking around to make sure everything was perfect.

"Harry, I can't find Remus' ring!"

"WHAT?!"

"Only joking!" Sirius said as he laughed at the horrified expression on Harry's face.

Harry cuffed Sirius on the back of the head as he passed behind him carrying Remus' pressed and starched robes. "Not funny, Black. I need to take these to Remus. Try not to ruin your robes while I'm gone, eh?" Harry left Sirius' and Remus' room and headed to his own, where Remus was currently being tortured by the girls. "Here are your robes, Remus. They're all ready for you to put on when the time comes. These two aren't being too over bearing, are they?" Harry asked with a smirk as Ginny and Hermione fought over a specific spell to use on Remus' hair.

"No, not at all, Harry. Thank you for my robes. Tell Sirius I love- "

"Nope, nope, nope! No communicating with the groom before the big event!" Harry teased as he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him. He was so excited to be part of all the commotion and happiness. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he truly belonged, and that he finally had the family he had always wanted. Just then, he ran headlong into the most unlikely person to be attending the wedding; Severus Snape. "Sorry, sir. I didn't see you."

"Of course you didn't, Potter. I was just going to wish the bride and bride happy returns. Where might I find Black?" Severus asked with a satisfied sneer as Harry seemed to shake with suppressed rage.

It took all his might not to draw his wand and blast Snape into oblivion. Harry took a deep breath and glared at the Potions Master. "Sirius is in his room getting ready. No one is allowed in but me, so you'll have to give _me_ the message and _I'll _pass it along," Harry snapped, losing a little bit of his self control already. He was very glad they were not in school at present time.

Severus rolled his eyes and sighed. "Stop acting like a five-year-old, Potter, it's unbecoming of you. Your dear godfather must have forgotten to mention a teensy part of the details for the Ceremony; the potion. Yes, there is a potion involved. I've come to deliver it then get the hell out of dodge, so to speak. So please, direct me to your godfather so I may leave quickly," Severus said all of this calmly and in a semi-bored voice as he glared at the young Gryffindor who looked so uncannily like his late father. Those eyes though…they were all Lily.

"Now, now, Severus! You wouldn't want Harry to think we don't get along now would you? As I've explained before, dear friend, the potion maker must also be the administrator. Trust me, if we could have found anyone else to brew such a difficult potion in such little time, we surely would have. You agreed when you spoke to Remus that you would do it. You're not backing out now are you, because I'll have to kill you for ruining my wedding day if so," Sirius said calmly as he stood behind Harry, who was trying to hide his laughter behind his hand.

Severus sneered more prominently at the Animagus and twitched slightly at his words. The nerve of that stupid mutt! "Yes, I guess I did agree, but I didn't know it was going to be a big lavish affair. When Lupin said private, I foolishly believed that he meant _private_! I did not agree to play minister at the flea fest wedding."

Sirius just laughed; not even rotten old Snivellus could ruin his big day! "Dumbledore is playing minister, Sev; you're simply pouring potions down our throats. You _will_ participate, you _will_ do it correctly, and you _will_ look like you're happy while doing it! We've trusted you with a very important part of this Ceremony and it would be extremely sad if you let an old school rivalry spoil something so very important to Remus and I."

Severus narrowed his eyes, looking as though he was either going to curse Sirius or explode at any second; or both. He took a deep breath and glanced at Harry, who was looking between the two men with bated breath, hoping all went well and shocked that Sirius would trust Severus with something so important. "Fine, I'll do it. But know that I'm not just doing it for you and Lupin. Too many people in this house still believe that I'm not quite on the right side of _things_, and I can't argue that settling our differences would help people to accept that I am on _your side_. So, I'm calling a truce," Severus held out his hand to Sirius, no sneer or scowl on his face, just emotionless indifference.

Sirius stood shocked for a few seconds before slowly taking Severus hand and shaking it briefly. "That was very…_mature_ of you, Severus. Thank you." Sirius turned and was about to leave, dragging Harry with him, when he turned back to Severus and looked him up and down. "You're dressed quite elegantly for your original plan of a quick escape, Severus…If you'd stop pretending you didn't have a heart, we might actually start to believe it. You were going to do it all along, no matter how much you deny it, you were. Come Harry; I still need to do my hair." Sirius smiled kindly at his old foe before dragging his godson back to his bedroom to finish getting ready for the biggest day of his life.

Severus couldn't help but let a small smirk crawl across his lips. So he had intended to do it all along, but he figured making a scene would have been so much more fun. He jumped as a hand firmly grasped his shoulder.

"He's right, you know, Severus. Admitting you care and being honest is not so bad, even if Sirius was a past enemy. That you can get over the grudge and be mature enough to make amends is reason enough to believe you have changed and are trustworthy. It is your heart that people search for when seeking trust and it is your heart that you have finally began to let show," Dumbledore spoke softly to the tall man before him. It was obvious that Severus had simply been trying to keep his hard façade in place to make Harry, and the others, believe that he still didn't care and had no interest in the two lovers' sordid affairs.

Severus smiled at the elderly wizard and simply nodded. He turned and walked back down the stairs, not quite sure what to do with himself until the Ceremony started. Molly attacked him with the task of hovering flowers to the top of the elegant arch that would be the back drop behind Remus and Sirius. With a sigh, he pulled out his wand and did as was asked of him; no sneer, no scowl. In fact, if you looked real close, you might even see a hint of a smile; _maybe_…

Sirius was standing in front of his bathroom mirror, staring at himself and feeling the ridiculous amount of happiness in his blood turn to nervousness. He was getting married; _married_ – to Remus Lupin. He never thought this day would come and now that it was here, he was terrified and ecstatic at the same time. He looked himself over, making sure he didn't miss any stubble and that his hair was perfectly in place. He was allowed to be vain; it was his _wedding_ after all. His stomach squirmed at the mere thought.

"Sirius, are you ready?" Harry asked as he looked in on his godfather. The young Gryffindor was dressed in midnight blue robes, the same colour of Sirius' but a different style. They had a simple collar and shiny silver clasps, the cuffs of the arms an elegant taper lined with subtle lace.

Sirius smiled into the mirror and then turned to his godson. "I think so. I'm nervous as all hell. You gave the ring to Ginny, right? She has it?" Sirius asked quickly, a slight panic rising in his chest needlessly. He was dressed in robes similar to Harry's, though they were a bit dressier, and his collar was higher and more _suave_ looking.

Harry chuckled and nodded at Sirius, grasping his shoulder firmly and squeezing reassuringly. "Yes, Sirius, Ginny has Remus' ring and Ron has yours. Stop fretting, things are all in order and ready to go. You remember the plan, right? We'll meet Remus and Hermione at the top of the stairs, you and Remus will begin to walk down together as the music plays, and Hermione and I will hang back a little before following along. Ron and Ginny will already be down there waiting for us in position, as well as Snape and Dumbledore. Molly has already told me that everything has gone as planned so far and there's nothing to worry about, so just relax and enjoy yourself, yeah? You only marry your true love once," Harry advised the nervous Animagus with a soft smile.

Sirius grinned at Harry and pulled him into a quick hug. "Thanks Harry. I don't think I could have done any of this without you. Guess it's time," Sirius said as he heard the beginning notes of the song that Remus had picked out. It was very melodic and pretty, fitting for the sentimental wolf that Remus was. As the lyrics began to sound softly threw the house, Sirius smiled at Harry and made his way out of the room, walking out into the hall at the same exact time as Remus.

'_Who can say where the road goes,  
Where the day flows?  
Only time..._

_And who can say if your love grows,  
As your heart chose?  
Only time...'_

Remus paused as he caught sight of Sirius. He looked amazing in his midnight blue robes, his hair hanging down elegantly into his smoldering gray eyes that were focused only on Remus. It took his breath away and made his heart flutter even more rapidly as Hermione came up behind him and gave an encouraging poke in the back to make him move. He smiled at Sirius as they walked closer and met up at the stairs. "Nervous?" he whispered to Sirius as they stood shoulder to shoulder.

'_Who can say why your heart sighs,  
As your love flies?  
Only time..._

_And who can say why your heart cries,  
When your love dies?  
Only time...'_

Sirius had been in a similar state of shocked paralysis before Harry prodded him back to life. Remus was dressed it bright white dress robes in the same style as Sirius'. He looked amazing and the contrast between the two party's clothing was exactly what they had wanted. Hermione looked beautiful in her simple white dress with a midnight blue sash wrapped around her waist and white lilies placed in her brown, thankfully tamed curls. "Extremely. You?" Sirius whispered back as they took their first step together down the stairs.

_Who can say when the roads meet,  
That love might be,  
In your heart…_

_And who can say when the day sleeps,  
If the night keeps all your heart?  
Night keeps all your heart...'_

Remus reached down and grasped Sirius' shaking hand in his own trembling fingers, squeezing gently as they walked. "Definitely."

'_Who can say if your love grows,  
As your heart chose?  
Only time..._

_And who can say where the road goes,  
Where the day flows?  
Only time...'_

They had now reached the bottom of the stairs, both trembling slightly as they continued to grasp each other's hand. Hermione and Harry were a few steps behind them, Hermione clutching to the crook of Harry's offered arm. They were both beaming as they tried to look formal while still being ecstatically excited. As the two men turned onto the long walk-way towards their final destination, they could hear sniffles from the front row as Tonks and Molly dabbed at their cheeks with tissues. Most of the other guests were smiling fondly and adoringly at the couple, while some were openly crying at the beauty of it all.

'_Who knows?  
Only time...'_

Only a few steps left and they'd be in front of Dumbledore and Severus, who stood slightly to the side. Ginny was standing on Sirius' side of the aisle and Ron was standing on Remus' side, both wearing the respective colours of the groom they'd be standing with. Even Severus let a small smile trace his lips as the two men came closer and closer, both clutching each other's hands like a life line.

'_Who knows?  
Only time...'_

The two men stopped as they reached their mark, still facing Dumbledore and smiling like they'd never smiled before. With one last loving squeeze, they released their grip on each other's hand, taking simultaneous deep breaths.

"Love is something we all cherish. Some of us long for it, while others of us are lucky enough to have it. Those lucky enough to experience the great pleasure can attest to the sheer, heart wrenching fear and excitement it can produce within them. The love we receive from our friends and family sometimes does not always satisfy that craving for love, so we seek it out in someone we want to spend our life with – a Soul Mate. It is rare to find the one who you're destined to be with, but when it happens, there are not words adequate enough to describe it. When these Souls meet, they become instantly bonded, and out of the control of the carnal being they possess, there will always be that connection, no matter what. The final step in finding a Soul Mate is when two Souls become one. The Joining of the Souls is one of the most sacred, honorable things a Soul will ever go through," Dumbledore paused to smile at Remus and Sirius, who were both smiling and glancing at each other every few seconds.

"We have here today two of the most tried and amazing Souls I have ever had the fortune to be acquainted with. The suffering and the love that Remus and Sirius have both gone through would have broken lesser people, unable to handle the power of the conflicting trials. Even after so many heartbroken years of separation, their Souls still remain tightly bonded, and their hearts still deeply connected.

"To Join these Souls in an everlasting union, an elixir of Truth and Complete Surrender will be taken to show to, not only each other, but all of these witnesses that they are willing to surrender their Souls to each other, in the most amazing form of self-sacrifice."

Severus stepped forward and conjured a goblet from thin air. The potion was already in the goblet and ready to be drank. He took a step towards Remus, who titled his head back and allowed Severus to tip the potion delicately into his mouth while cradling the back of his head. Remus swallowed slowly as Severus then turned to Sirius and repeated the action, emptying the goblet and returning to his original spot with the goblet clutched in his hands.

"Will the dominant Soul please stay standing while the submissive Soul kneels and takes the hands of the dominant Soul."

Remus felt the potion begin to take over as he was forced to turn towards Sirius and kneel down on one knee, reaching for his lover's hands and staring only up at the man he loved. He had never felt so vulnerable in front of so many people before. It was incredibly liberating and terrifying all at once.

Sirius smiled lovingly down at Remus, clutching his hands tightly as he felt the werewolf trembling again. Seeing Remus completely surrender to him and announce his submissiveness to the entire room was one of the most powerful things Sirius had ever experienced. He felt his love for the man kneeling before him increase ten-fold, if even possible.

"Will the dominant Soul's witness step forward and repeat these words while touching their wand to the Souls' joined hands; 'Unisca queste anima, da amore, dalla verità e dalla fiducia'."(1)

Harry stepped forward and placed the tip of his wand on Remus' and Sirius' hands, taking a breath before repeating the Italian words he had memorized, even though he knew Dumbledore would say them moments before he would have to. "Unisca queste anima, da amore, dalla verità e dalla fiducia." A bright white light traced its way around Remus' and Sirius' hands, swirling and pulsing slowly. Harry stepped back to his original position and waited for Hermione to continue.

"Will the submissive Soul's witness step forward and repeat these words while touching their wand to the Souls' opposite joined hands; 'Unisca queste anima, da potere, cedi ed impegno'."(2)

Hermione stepped forward and placed her wand on the opposite hands of those Harry had charmed. She smiled warmly at Sirius and Remus before reciting the spell. "Unisca queste anima, da potere, cedi ed impegno." A bright blue light seeped slowly from Hermione's wand and encircled Remus' and Sirius' hands, pulsing and swirling like it's white counterpart.

"Please place both sets of hands on top of one another," Dumbledore instructed as he drew his wand and walked forward. He placed the tip of his wand on the men's' hands, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them and reciting the last part of the Joining spell. "Unisca queste anima, ora e per sempre più."(3) The last beam of light was a soft gold, twirling and entwining with the white and blue so that it made a kaleidoscope of colours which reflected off of anything and everything as they grew brighter, then disappeared as they seemed to seep into the lovers' skin.

"Remus, please stand. You may release your hands. Will the rings be brought forward at this time," Dumbledore said as he nodded towards Ginny and Ron.

Ginny walked forward and held out the thick, gold ring to Sirius. It was engraved on the inside with the words, 'As long as the Moon will rise, I will be by your side…' Sirius took the ring and turned back towards Remus.

Ron held out the thick, titanium counterpart to Remus after stepping forward. It too was engraved, but with different words, 'To be your friend was all I ever wanted; to be your lover was all I ever dreamed…' Remus took the ring with shaking fingers, turning to smile at Sirius as a tear slid down his cheek.

Sirius felt his own eyes begin to swim with tears as he took Remus' left hand and slid the gold ring slowly onto the werewolf's ring finger, his hand lingering to caress Remus' palm with his fingers.

Remus let his tears fall freely as he repeated Sirius' actions, sliding the titanium ring gently onto Sirius' finger. He let out a shaky breath as he continued to hold Sirius' hand, staring into the Animagus' stormy gray eyes and losing himself quite easily.

"Your Souls will forever be Joined by love, truth, trust, power, surrender, and commitment from this day on. Friends and family, I am honored to introduce Mr. Sirius Black and Mr. Remus Lupin-Black. Oh yes, you may kiss the bride," Dumbledore chuckled, that familiar twinkle in his blue eyes.

The guests all around began to laugh and clap as Sirius grabbed Remus and tipped him backwards dramatically, kissing him deeply and passionately.

"I love you, Mr. Lupin-Black," Sirius whispered as Remus resumed a normal standing position.

"I love you too, Mr. Black," Remus chuckled as Sirius let out a squeal of delight and pulled him into a tight hug.

An hour later, they had finished their wonderful dinner, made by Molly of course, and cleared the foyer with a flick of a few wands. The chairs and arch were replaced with a dance floor and a dozen small round tables surrounded in chairs.

"You're lucky we found a muggle-born DJ, Remus. He's glad to play both muggle and wizard music, so enjoy it!" Molly called as she bustled around making sure everyone had drinks and were happy.

"Can we have the grooms on the dance floor for their first dance, please?" the DJ called over the laughter and chattering in the room.

Sirius pulled Remus onto the dance floor by the hand, giving him a dramatic twirl as the slow, soft song began to play. He pulled the werewolf close, wrapping his arms lightly around his waist. "So did you like your wedding, Moony? Was it everything you thought it would be and more?" Sirius asked in a whisper as they revolved slowly in the dimmed lights.

'_Highway run  
Into the midnight sun  
Wheels go round and round  
You're on my mind…_

_  
Restless hearts  
Sleep alone tonight  
Sendin' all my love  
Along the wire…'_

Remus smiled and kissed Sirius quickly on the lips, his arms wrapped around Sirius' neck as he swayed back and forth to one of his favourite muggle songs. "I loved it. Everything was perfect, though I would have been happy if we were dressed in rags and married by a goblin, to be quite honest," Remus joked with a smirk. "All I need is you to be happy, Sirius…"

'_Circus life  
Under the big top world  
We all need the clowns  
To make us smile  
Through space and time  
Always another show  
Wondering where I am  
Lost without you…'_

Sirius' smile grew wide as he rested his forehead against Remus'. He had made it quite clear that he wanted his shoes to have a bit of a heel and Remus' shoes to have none so that he didn't have to tippy-toe to kiss his husband. Wow…his _husband_. "I'm glad you're so happy. You're such a ponce, Moony…That's why I love you," Sirius chuckled lightly.

"I love you too, Padfoot."

'_And being apart aint easy  
On this love affair  
Two strangers learn to fall in love again  
I get the joy  
Of rediscovering you  
Oh, you stand by me  
I'm forever yours...faithfully_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh  
Faithfully, I'm still yours  
I'm forever yours__Ever yours...faithfully…'

* * *

_

**A/N:** If you're crying, don't worry; you won't be the only one! I cry every time I reread this chapter! Oh, and before I get flamed for it; I know the Enya song _Only Time_ was not released until 2000, but the words and flow of the song were too perfect to pass up! And yes, I did cut out a small chunk of the Journey song _Faithfully_ because the words didn't really fit, so it became 'background music' while they spoke, lol. Artistic license people! Please review and tell me if it was too much, not enough, or just right and if you loved it or hated it! Ciao!

**Translations for the Joining spell (written in Italian – the language of love!):**

(1)- 'Join these Souls, by love, truth, and trust'

(2)- 'Join these Souls, by power, surrender, and commitment'

(3)- 'Join these Souls, now and forever more'


	24. Living

**A/N:** We're so close to the end! This chapter is not so much important to the overall storyline, but it has a deeper meaning. I hope you like it still! There are still a few more chapters and an epilogue to come, so stick around!

**WARNING:** This chapter might be the very last of the smut for this story! Enjoy it!

* * *

**Ch 24.  
Living**

"Thanks again, Molly. We would never have pulled any of it off without you," Remus said as he hugged the fiery haired woman tightly.

Molly beamed as she embraced the much taller man before pulling away. "Oh it was no problem, Remus. I'm so happy that everything went as planned! You two have a wonderful evening, and don't worry about cleaning up. It's my treat!"

Sirius had an arm slung around Harry's shoulders as he stood with the group of teens. Everyone who did not live or sleep at Grimmauld Place had already taken their leave since it was getting so late. Everyone was tired from all their efforts and exuberant partying, so it was time to end the festivities. "Thank you, to all of you. It just wouldn't have been the same without all you kids," Sirius said with a warm smile as he pulled Harry into a one armed hug.

"Oi! Watch who you're calling kids! We're – "

"Of age." Chorused the whole group exasperatedly, excluding Fred and George. Everyone laughed as the twins had matching scowls. They eventually joined in on the laughter, which didn't cease even as Remus walked up behind Sirius and looked curiously around at the group.

"What's all the laughing about? Sirius isn't telling you the story of our first date is he? That should get some laughs," Remus said with a smirk.

Sirius shook his head quickly as he glared at his husband. "Oh Merlin, Remus, no! That was so embarrassing!" Sirius exclaimed as he remembered the ridiculous things he had done.

"Come on, Remus, tell us what happened!" Ginny said as the rest of the group all nodded in agreement.

Remus smiled and moved to stand inside of the group instead of behind. "Well, Sirius and I had been dating for awhile, but we hadn't gone on a proper first date yet. Since we had started dating at the end of fifth year, there were no more Hogsmeade weekends, so we had to wait until sixth year to go. Sirius waited until Valentine's Day weekend. You should have seen the way Sirius asked me…"

"_Er…Moony? I think you should get up and come look at this." James' muffled voice could be heard through Remus' thick bed curtains. _

_As Remus rolled over, he noticed that his bed seemed particularly empty. He opened his eyes and realized that Sirius had gotten up already. He frowned as he missed his boyfriend's warmth. Remus could hear the whispered voices of James and Peter and his curiosity finally got the better of him as he got out of bed and pulled his hangings open. Before he could take a single step, his eyes were drawn to what looked like rose petals laid neatly out across the floor. They spelled something out and had an arrow pointing out the door, a trail of rose petals following it:_

'_Morning Moony…'_

_Remus carefully stepped over the petals so as not to upset them and glanced back at Peter and James, who were trying to hide their grins. He followed the arrow and trail of rose petals down the steps and into the common room. Remus had been watching the rose petal trail instead of where he was going, and when he looked up as the trail stopped, his jaw dropped. In the middle of the common room was a giant teddy bear the size of one of the surrounding chintz arm chairs, the biggest slab of Honey Duke's chocolate Remus had ever seen, and Sirius, holding a card and grinning like a fool._

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Moony!"_

_The giant gifts were attracting a lot of attention as girls 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed at the sentiment, fluttering their eyelashes at Sirius longingly. What with the full moon being the next night, Moony took over and decided it was time to show these girls who Sirius belonged to. Remus was smiling as he walked forward and pulled Sirius close, placing a light and lovingly kiss on the Animagus' lips. He felt a sense of satisfaction as he saw the girls' stunned and indignant faces._

"_You can never do anything half arsed, can you? Did you just use engorgement charms or did you seriously find a huge bear and half a ton of chocolate?" Remus asked with a smirk._

"_Of course not, Moony! I had that chocolate specially made for you by Honey Duke's, and I searched all over hell and back for that teddy bear. I have no idea where you're going to put it. Maybe it can sleep in my bed, since I sleep in yours," Sirius said with a chuckle._

_Remus blushed as one of the girls had heard what Sirius said and looked scandalized. "Sirius, keep your voice down."_

_Sirius snorted as he raised an eyebrow at the werewolf. "Yeah, because the economy sized Valentine gifts aren't going to give the fact that we're together away at all…Oh, here's your card. Now let's sit so we can watch the show," Sirius said with a slightly evil cackle._

_Remus cocked an eyebrow as he followed Sirius to sit on their favorite couch, clutching the red envelope Sirius had handed him to his chest. "The show?"_

_Sirius smirked as he pulled Remus close to him on the couch, making sure they were facing the girl's staircase. "James' Valentine's Day gift to Evans. He was pissed because I'm making him look bad, so he decided to step up his gift. Just watch, Moony my love…"_

_About two minutes later, Lily Evans came running down the steps looking like anyone who crossed her path was going to be beheaded. "JAMES HAROLD POTTER!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her hair almost crackling with anger._

_James came flying out of the boys dorms, looking proud yet slightly sheepish. "Yes, my Lily flower?" James asked, trying to look and sound innocent._

"_Why did my mother write to me about the 'sweet _Potter_ boy' who sent her a letter?" Lily asked, her voice shaking with rage. Despite James' efforts, Lily had still not cracked under the pressure and agreed to date him yet. Sure, they had been getting along well this year, but they still had magnificent rows all the time in the middle of the common room, Great Hall, class rooms; basically everywhere._

_James bit his lip, trying to hide his smirk. "Well I had to ask your parents' permission!"_

_Lily visibly paled and her eyes went wide. "Permission…? For what?" she snapped, almost forgetting that she was supposed to be angry._

_James let the smirk glide across his face as he pulled out what looked like two muggle airplane tickets and showed them to Lily. "Permission to take you to France with me this summer."_

_Lily's jaw dropped as her paleness turned into a deep blush. She just stared at James, unable to move or form coherent speech. Just as Remus was sure she was going to deck him, Lily ran up to James and threw her arms around his neck, squealing in delight. "My mum said yes!"_

_James looked like Christmas, his birthday, and any other day deemed to be full of cheer had all just come on the same day. He wrapped his arms around Lily as he lifted her gently off the ground, the grin plastered on his face sure to never remove itself again. _

_Sirius began to cheer from the couch and Remus clapped, Peter wolf whistling from the top of the boy's stairs. Other people began to join in as they realized the never ending chase for Lily Evans' heart was finally over; James had won._

"_He really is sweet isn't he…" Remus mused as he smiled at Lily and James._

_Sirius cocked an eyebrow and pulled the card out of Remus' hand. "Open your card, Moony," he said as he waved the large envelope in front of Remus' eyes teasingly._

_Remus rolled his eyes and smirked as he took the card and opened it. He smiled as he read what Sirius had written alongside the mushy heart-felt Valentine poem._

'Dear Remus/Moony,

This day marks our very first Valentine's Day together, and I'd like it to be very special. So in honor of this milestone, I would like to take you to Hogsmeade and spoil you rotten all day on our first date. Now stop reading, look at me, squeal like a girl and say yes so we can hurry up and get dressed. I love you, Moony.

Love,

Sirius/Padfoot'

_Remus chuckled as he closed the card and smiled at Sirius before leaning in and kissing him deeply. "I won't squeal, but I will say yes," Remus whispered as he moved a lock of hair out of Sirius' grey eyes._

_Sirius beamed and kissed Remus on the cheek before quickly standing up and pulling the werewolf with him. "Let's get Mr. Snuggles and your chocolate upstairs, then. The bear, too."_

_Remus laughed and smacked Sirius playfully on the arm. "Yes, let's. You're present is up there in my- Sirius wait!" Remus called as Sirius took off up the stairs after his gift. Remus pulled out his wand and hovered the bear and chocolate up the stairs in front of him. He dropped them on Sirius' bed and turned to the Animagus who was bouncy up and down excitedly on Remus' bed, reminding Remus of his Animagus form when the dog became excited. "Calm down, Padfoot. Let me get it," Remus said as he walked over to his trunk and pulled the lid open. He pulled out the small black box and stood up, holding it out to Sirius with a shy smile._

_Sirius took the box with a grin and carefully opened it, placing the lid underneath the box. Lying inside atop a small velvet indent was a shiny, silver quarter moon-shaped pendant with a long, thick chain trailing underneath the crimson velvet. Sirius carefully lifted the pendant closer to his eyes to see the little engravings on the moon. It said 'R&S' with a small heart beneath the neatly scripted letters. "Oh, Moony…It's wonderful," Sirius whispered as he looked up at Remus with a look of great emotion unhidden on his face._

_Remus smiled as he walked over and sat down beside Sirius. He pulled the box out of Sirius' hand and pulled the necklace all the way out._

"_Moony, its silver!" Sirius warned as the werewolf undid the small clasp on the chain. He was highly confused as Remus reached around his neck and put the necklace on him without being burned by the metal._

"_It's titanium. I had it specially made out of titanium so that I wouldn't have to worry about accidently touching it," Remus explained as he fingered the small moon lovingly._

_Sirius' eyes softened as he studied his boyfriend's face. He lifted Remus' face by the chin and leaned forward, kissing the werewolf deeply and meaningfully. "I love you, Remus…" he whispered against his lips._

_Remus kissed Sirius back, cupping his smooth cheek with a rough hand. He smiled as Sirius whispered to him. "I love you too, Sirius."_

_Both boys nearly jumped out of their skin as a shrill squeal sounded from the doorway of their dorm. They whipped around to see a teary eyed Lily beaming at them. _

"_That has to be the sweetest thing I've ever seen! It was like a scene from a mushy muggle romance film," Lily exclaimed as James rolled his eyes behind her. _

_Remus blushed as he averted his eyes, Sirius' arm still wrapped tightly around his waist, almost possessively. "Come on, let's get ready to go," Remus insisted as he gave Sirius a pointed look._

_Sirius chuckled as he kissed Remus quickly once more, making the werewolf blush even deeper. "I just love making you blush, Moony. And I'll take that as a compliment, Evans," Sirius said with a wink as he subconsciously pressed the small moon-shaped pendant close to his chest._

_Lily had spotted the new edition to Sirius' neck immediately and made a bee-line for the jewelry. "Let me see it!" she said as she gently lifted the pendant so that she could see it. "Aww…"_

_Sirius rolled his eyes but smirked as he noticed Remus blushing again. "If you're done fawning over the ponces now, we've got a date to carry on with," Sirius said, though he was clearly joking._

_Lily scoffed a little as she let the pendant fall back to Sirius' chest. She turned to smile at Remus, who seemed to have a permanent blush. "Well I think it's a really sweet gift, Remus. Let him spoil you rotten, you deserve it," Lily said with a smirk as she turned back to James, who had finally extracted his rather full bag of galleons from the bottom of his trunk._

"_Have fun you two!" Remus called as Lily and James left with a short wave. Remus turned back to Sirius, who had been staring at him. "What?"_

"_I just can't believe how lucky I am," Sirius said with a soft smile._

"_Lucky? About what?"_

"_Having someone like you to love me, and let me love you back."_

_Remus blushed for the millionth time it felt like as he smirked at his boyfriend. "Quit sucking up, Padfoot; you're already getting laid tonight," Remus joked with a wink._

_Sirius laughed as he pushed Remus playfully down onto the bed, nipping lightly at the werewolf's neck and leaving soft kisses to sooth the marks. "I look forward to that…" Sirius whispered huskily against Remus' ear as he pressed himself against Remus._

_Remus gasped slightly as his back arched up, wanting to feel as much of Sirius pressed against him as possible. "You at least have to buy me dinner before I'll let you fuck me Sirius; I'm no cheap whore," Remus said teasingly as he rubbed his hands underneath Sirius' shirt, tracing his lean back and shoulder muscles._

_Sirius chuckled as he left another bite on Remus' tender neck before pulling away. "No, you're a high maintenance ponce, aren't you?" Sirius teased with a smirk._

"_You wouldn't have me any other way."_

"_Never."_

Sirius had zoned out during Remus' story telling, remembering his favourite part that Remus had of course left out while telling the children. He smiled as Remus grinned at him and ploughed on with the story, all of the kids smiling and snickering lightly.

"…So that's when we finally headed to Hogsmeade…"

"_Moony, what's your favourite thing to do in the entire world?" Sirius asked as they walked along side all of the other students making their way to the wizarding village outside of Hogwarts._

_Remus thought for a second before finally making a decision. "Well excluding the obvious activities with you, I'd have to say reading."_

"_A shock, to say the least," Sirius said with a cheeky grin as Remus cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. "I say our first stop shall be the book store, where you can pick out as many books as your nerdy heart desires," Sirius said with a dramatic flourish of his arms, nearly concussing a passing first year._

_Remus affectionately directed the first year a safe distance away from Sirius before turning back to look at his boyfriend. "Sirius, you don't need to buy me a bunch of stuff. I just want to spend the day with you is all," Remus insisted as they made it to the main road of the village._

_Sirius shook his head firmly. "Ah, but those were not the conditions of the date! Don't worry, there's a method to my madness."_

_Remus looked a bit wary about whatever 'method' Sirius had come up with, but he grit his teeth and bit his tongue, not wanting to ruin the date when it had barely just begun. "Madness is right…" Remus muttered playfully as they entered the book shop._

_Sirius chuckled as he followed Moony into the shop, looking around at all the gleaming, thick tomes and breathing in the parchment-y smell that reminded him so much of Remus. "Have at it, my love," Sirius said as he gestured around to the many tall shelves of books._

_Remus rolled his eyes and smiled. He knew exactly what book he wanted, and he was only going to get just the one, no matter how much Sirius tried to pressure him into picking half the store to read. "Come this way," Remus directed as he made his way to the back left corner of the shop. The little sign above the shelf read 'Muggle Fiction'. Remus scanned the many different titles on the spines of the books, searching for one in particular. "Ah ha!" Remus said as he finally found the one he was looking for. He pulled a medium sized book from the shelf and smiled down at the gleaming cover. It was black with an ornate white design on the front, a large red 'A' in the very centre of the cover. Below the design was the title 'The Scarlet Letter'._

"_The Scarlet Letter? What's it about, Moony?" Sirius asked curiously as he examined the front cover. _

_Remus loved this book and had needed a new copy for ages now. His third copy had begun to deteriorate more than a year ago, and his second copy had been stolen in his third year. "It's about a woman, Hester Prynne, who has a child out of wed-lock and is sentenced to wear a scarlet 'A' upon her chest as punishment and a constant reminder to herself and others of her crime of adultery. It's my favourite book," Remus explained as he caressed the cover almost lovingly._

_Sirius had not exactly caught the meaning behind it and couldn't for the life of him figure out why Remus was so fond of it. "Why do you like it so much?"_

_Remus' smile turned from happy to slightly sad as he averted his eyes from Sirius' gaze. "My scars are like my own personal scarlet letters; a constant reminder to myself, and the few who know, of what I am and what I have to endure forever-more…" Remus said quietly._

_Sirius smile faded as he finally understood the deep meaning behind the plot now. He felt his heart sink as he longed to take his lover's pain away. "Moony…Hester had to wear the letter – a badge of shame – as punishment for a crime she had committed out of passion while longing for her long-lost husband. Your scars…they're a reminder, yes, but you have committed no crime. It's not your fault that this creature is a part of you, Remus…You are not the wolf, and the wolf is not you."_

_Remus turned to stare at Sirius, a tear sliding down his cheek. "You- you've read it?" Remus asked, dazed by Sirius's whole passionate speech. Since when did Sirius Black read, let alone muggle novels?_

_Sirius smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Who do you think stole your copy in third year? I would have returned it but, well…I kept it as a sort of keep-sake I guess. It was like having a piece of you with me always," Sirius explained quietly as he wiped the tear from Remus' cheek._

_Remus' expression softened as he felt his heart ache with a mixture of love, pain, and a twinge of guilt for being what he was, for being a werewolf. "You never cease to amaze me, Padfoot."_

_Sirius leaned down and kissed Remus softly on the lips. "Likewise, Moony love. Now let's pay for this and go get some lunch, eh?" Sirius suggested, trying to lighten the mood a bit._

_Remus nodded as he smiled and clutched the book tight to his chest. "Yeah, sounds good…"_

Remus smiled and laughed as the story continued, telling the group of teens about that memorable day, the way Sirius spoiled him rotten, and how they got caught in a horrendous rain storm and saw James and Lily share their very first kiss together in the rain soaked street.

"How romantic…" Hermione mused with a hazy sort of smile on her face.

"It actually looked like James was eating her face, but to each their own."

Remus cuffed Sirius on the back of the head. "It did not! Lily said it was the best kiss she'd ever had, so there."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his husband, a slow smirk tracing his lips. "You talked to Lily about her first kiss with James? You really are a ponce, aren't you…"

Remus rolled his eyes as the kids laughed at the comment. He leaned closer to Sirius and whispered in his ear. "As if you didn't know that already." He smirked as Sirius blushed under the gazes of the curious teens and turned back towards the group. "Well, I think it's time we said goodnight. You're all truly wonderful," Remus said with a warm smile.

"Goodnight!" chorused the kids as Remus pulled Sirius away from the group after giving Harry a quick hug.

Once in their room, Remus made straight for the nightstand drawer where he pulled out a very familiar small black box. He smiled as he held it out to Sirius. "You left it before you…before you were arrested. I was saving it to give you for our anniversary, but we have a new one now."

Sirius took the box, almost unable to believe his eyes. "You kept it all these years, Moony?" he asked as he opened it and smiled fondly down at the slightly less shiny pendant. He had always been obsessive with making sure it was put away properly in its box whenever he was not wearing it; it was very special to him.

"Of course I did," Remus said as he took the necklace out of the box and fastened it around Sirius' neck like he had done so very many years ago. "I used to wear it, before you came to stay," Remus admitted with a faint blush.

Sirius smiled as he clutched the pendant close to his chest. "Thank you, Remus," he whispered before kissing the werewolf gently on the lips. "I'm going to take a shower before bed; I have enough hairspray in my hair to keep it still for years."

Remus chuckled as he kissed Sirius again. "I think I'll join you. I have no idea what those girls put it my hair, but it'll probably make my pillow burst into flames."

Sirius followed Remus into the bathroom and smiled as he watched his husband undress and set his robes gently on the counter, before copying his actions and removing his own robes. He turned the water on and felt the temperature of the water; luke warm. He pulled Remus towards him as they waited for the water to heat up and kissed him deeply, passionately. As steam began to rise from the water, Sirius turned the shower head on and pulled Remus into the shower with him, gasping as the warm water hit his flesh. He closed the clear glass door, stepping back towards his lover in the roomy shower.

Remus closed his eyes and let the water cascade over his body, reveling in the warmth as it soothed his tired body; it had been a long day. He smirked as he felt Sirius' hands start to roam his body, tracing his scars and making his skin burn with desire. He opened his eyes and was met with the blazing, silver eyes of his husband. He pushed Sirius back against the wall of the shower, running a hand through his damp locks and leaning down to kiss the sensitive flesh of the Animagus' neck.

Sirius gasped as the cold wall of the shower contrasted sharply with the warmth of the water. He pulled Remus close to him, wanting to feel as much of his husband's body against his own as possible. He bit his lip as Remus kissed and nibbled his neck, feeling the evidence of his arousal pressed against his thigh. Sirius let out a soft moan as Remus rubbed a palm over his own erection. He quickly flipped their positions, pushing Remus against the wall as he touched and teased the werewolf's sensitive skin. He sank down to his knees and took his husband into his mouth, loving the sounds coming from Remus as he sucked and licked the warm flesh in his mouth.

Remus wove a hand into Sirius hair, being as gentle as possible while still trying to show his need for more. His hips jerked forward as Sirius became more passionate about his job, making Remus' knees in danger of collapsing under his weight. He let out a moan as he felt his climax inching closer and closer. "Mmm…Sirius…" Remus groaned. He let out a warning grunt as he came quickly into his lover's mouth.

Sirius stood up and kissed Remus deeply, sharing the slightly bitter and salty taste with his husband. He slid his tongue against Remus' moaning as Remus stroked him slowly and deliberately. He wanted more, to be closer; this simply wasn't enough. He always felt like he was never close enough; it wasn't enough to touch and be touched alone. He pushed his hips against the werewolf and wasn't at all surprised that Remus was hard once more.

"Fuck me, Sirius," Remus growled as he nipped at Sirius' neck and returned the pressure against Sirius. Remus gasped as Sirius quickly pulled his legs up and around his waist, holding Remus up by placing his hands underneath him. He guided his cock to Remus' tight entrance and used the water to ease himself in, groaning from the immense pressure. Remus moaned loudly as Sirius slid all the way inside, buried deep within him. He wrapped his arms around the Animagus neck as Sirius started to move in and out, kissing Remus sloppily as he tried to hold up both of their weights.

Sirius was panting from his efforts of holding Remus up and moving swiftly in and out of his lover, gasping as Remus jerked slightly as he let out a high pitched moan; he had hit his target. He kept going at the same angle, hitting that special spot over and over again, making Remus continually moan, his mouth close to Sirius' ear as Sirius pounded into him harder still. "Fuck!" Sirius exclaimed as he reached orgasm, pressing Remus hard against the wall and letting go of him so that he slid down a little. He withdrew his softening cock as he rested his forehead against Remus' shoulder.

Remus lifted Sirius' chin and kissed his deeply, rubbing his hands all over the taught and strong muscles of the Animagus' body. He bit Sirius' bottom lip lightly before pulling away and switching their positions, turning Sirius so that his front was pressed against the wall. "My turn…" he growled into Sirius ear, loving how Sirius shuddered and pressed his ass back against Remus impatiently. He grabbed the small bottle of lube they kept on the shelf and lubed himself up, not wanting to hurt Sirius who didn't bottom very often and probably would not be able to handle a 'water-only' entrance. He put a little bit of lubricant on his finger and circled Sirius' tight, puckered ring a few times before pushing the digit in, feeling his cock twitch as Sirius moaned. He slid his finger slowly in and out before adding another lubed up finger, groaning as Sirius moaned even louder and pressed back on his fingers. He scissored the digits buried deep in his lover before pulling them out and placing his cock at Sirius' entrance. He held Sirius hips tightly as he pushed in slowly, giving him time to adjust to the sensation.

"Just fuck me, Remus!" Sirius begged as he pushed himself back onto Remus' cock, wanting to be filled by his lover, even if it stung slightly at first. They didn't often switch roles, but Sirius absolutely loved when they did. He moaned loudly as Remus began to move in and out of him. He didn't care if he wasn't being 'manly' or sounded like a complete ponce as he moaned and groaned his immense delight. He let all his inhibitions go as he let his husband fuck him into the tiled wall. He reached an arm around behind him and wrapped it behind Remus' back, pulling the werewolf closer as he wanted to feel Remus pressed tightly against him.

Remus groaned as he drove himself in and out of Sirius, angling himself to try to find the small patch of nerves that made Sirius squirm. He knew he had found it when Sirius spasmed and let out a sharp gasp. He made contact again and again, moaning as Sirius met every one of his thrusts. He rested his forehead against Sirius' shoulder as he pounded into his lover, his climax building. He let out a low, guttural sound as he thrust in one last time and exploded deep within Sirius.

Sirius pushed himself against Remus even after his lover had orgasmed, feeling his own climax near breaking point. He groaned loudly as he came, his seed spreading against the tiled wall he was still pressed against. He had only ever experienced an orgasm while never having his cock stimulated a few times; every time Remus topped. He loved how his lover could drive him crazy without ever touching his cock. He sighed as Remus pulled out of him and slowly turned Sirius to face him, smiling lovingly at him.

"You're such a bottom in denial," Remus whispered before kissing Sirius gently.

Sirius chuckled against Remus' lips as he wrapped his arms around his husband's waist and pulled him close. "Only for you, Moony…"

"I should like to think so, considering I _am_ your husband," Remus teased with a smirk.

Sirius smiled and nodded slowly. "Yes, yes you are…"

Remus rested his forehead against Sirius' as they stood under the warm stream of water, clinging onto each other and losing themselves in the moment. For just this little while, they felt like the world stood still and were completely content just wrapped around one another. The titanium pendant was pressed tight between the two men's chests, leaving an indentation on their skin.

Though they were in the midst of a war, constantly in danger and alert to that fact, they knew there was more than that. As they held each other close, they realized that there was more to life than just surviving, and though life didn't come with a guarantee, they were happy with taking life as it came at them, smiling boldly in the face of danger as they fought to find and accomplish the meaning of why they were there. Some might call that surviving, but Remus and Sirius – they called it living.

* * *

**A/N:** Can anyone spot the connection between _The Scarlet Letter_ and Sirius?? _Anyone???_ Why yes, Gary Oldman _did_ play the lead male role, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, in the 1995 film adaptation! E-cookies to all who knew that! _The Scarlet Letter_ has always been one of my favourite books ^_^.

There might end up being a few more chapters than I originally planned on. I didn't expect this one to turn out so long, but I don't argue with my mind when it spews forth ideas, I just type them out lol. There's going to be at least one, maybe two more chapters of the actual storyline, then I have an epilogue. So my guesstimate is around 26, maybe 27 chapters. I feel like this story is never going to end, but that's ok because I'm going to be really sad when it does. Thanks for reading! Ciao!


	25. Lucky Stars

**A/N: **I've been so horrible with updates lately! I'm so sorry! I've been having a hard time writing lately and with finals coming up, I'm a bit stretched thin. I should definitely have this fic finished by the end of the year! Thanks for sticking with me! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 25.  
Lucky Stars**

There was a tentative knock at Remus' and Sirius' bedroom door in the early hours of the morning. Remus rolled out of bed and pulled on a dressing gown before running a hand through his hair and throwing the blanket over Sirius to make sure nothing was exposed. He opened the door a crack and saw the beaming face of Professor Dumbledore.

"Morning, Remus, my friend! I hate to wake you, but there are a few matters I need to discuss with Sirius about Harry before he returns to Hogwarts. I would wait till later, but there is a third party involved who has other things to be getting on with. If you could have him meet me in the kitchen in fifteen minutes? You're welcome to come, too," Dumbledore said with a soft smile.

Remus nodded and smiled back at the old man. "Yes of course, sir." Remus closed the door after receiving a nod from Dumbledore and turned to wake his husband up. He crawled back into the bed and smiled down at Sirius' sleeping form. He gently touched the Animagus' slightly stubbly cheek, placing a soft kiss of his forehead. "Sirius…Wake up," Remus whispered.

Sirius shifted and groaned slightly in his sleep. A small smile traced his lips as Remus kissed him on the forehead. He slowly began to blink his eyes open, still smiling. "Morning, Moony."

Remus smiled and leaned down to press his lips to Sirius'. "Morning, Padfoot. Dumbledore needs to speak with you. He said it's something about Harry and needs to be discussed now before he goes back to Hogwarts."

Sirius quickly sat up, a slight look of worry on his face. "Is everything ok, is Harry ok?" he asked quickly.

Remus put a hand gently on Sirius's shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. "Shh, everything is fine. Dumbledore just wants to talk. Get dressed and we'll go down together," Remus said as Sirius relaxed instantly.

Sirius nodded, smiling lightly at Remus. "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit tense about Harry going back to school. I just can't help but worry about him," Sirius admitted as he leaned his head on Remus' shoulder.

Remus wrapped an arm around Sirius waist and pulled him close. "It's ok to be worried, Sirius. It's what parents do. Just know that he'll be safe at Hogwarts. Come on, let's go talk to Dumbledore."

When the two men entered the kitchen, they were greeted by the smell of eggs and bacon cooking on the stove while Molly washed the mountainous pile of dishes from the previous night.

"Morning! Food will be done in a moment, just sit down and relax," Molly said as she twirled her wand and hovered a stack of clean dishes into the cabinet.

"I wish you would let me help you, Molly. It's not fair to make you clean it all up yourself," Remus said as he sat down beside Sirius at the table.

Molly shook her head and tsked as she served up two plates of eggs and bacon and sat them on the table in front of Sirius and Remus. "Nonsense, Remus! Call it my wedding gift if you will. Now eat up, before the children come in and steal it from you. I should be getting them up here in about an hour."

"What time is it anyways?" Sirius asked as he stifled a huge yawn. He picked up his fork and began shoveling eggs into his mouth.

Remus checked his watch as he graciously accepted a cup of coffee from Molly. "Six thirty-four. Has Dumbledore been down here yet, Molly?" Remus asked before taking a sip of his warm and strong coffee.

"Yes, he came in just a bit ago and said he'd be back soon. He said he needed to speak with Sirius and not to wake the children until afterwards," Molly said as she stowed away the rest of the clean dishes and made a plate of food for herself. She sat down across from Remus and Sirius at the table, smiling warmly.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a confused yet curious look as they continued to eat their breakfast. After they had all three finished, Dumbledore finally came back in accompanied by Severus.

"Good morning to the newlyweds!" Dumbledore exclaimed as he clapped Sirius and Remus on the shoulder with a wide smile.

"Good morning, sir," Remus said with a returned smile.

Sirius eyed Severus suspiciously before smiling at Dumbledore. "Why thank you, Albus! So, I was told you needed to have a little chat with me?" Sirius said with a raised eyebrow. He felt slightly worried; he was sure whatever this was about, it included Snape. Despite their 'truce', Sirius would never fully trust the man.

Dumbledore sat down across from Sirius, leaving the head seat available for Severus as Molly was still sitting across from Remus. "Indeed. There are a few things I need to discuss with you about Harry before he returns to school. As you've been well aware, Harry sometimes has pains in his scar which are often accompanied by sudden fluctuations in emotion that are unrelated to his current situations, or glimpses into Voldemort's mind itself. For obvious reasons, this is very worrisome. When Harry witnessed Arthur Weasley being attacked just before the holidays, he saw everything from the point of view of the snake. The reason for this is that Voldemort was possessing Nagini at the time, so Harry's mind went where Voldemort's mind was. During the event, it appeared that Voldemort became aware of the connection between himself and Harry. While possessing the snake, his emotions were limited because he had to form to the mind of the snake; you most likely understand this, as your Animagus form has a similar effect. Because of Voldemort's lack of emotions, he felt more clearly the panic within Harry and soon realized Harry was in his mind," Dumbledore paused and looked to Severus, who leaned forward slightly in his chair.

"The Dark Lord has admitted to a select few that he knows of this connection now. He has been obsessing with the idea since the night of the attack, and has recently come to the conclusion that he can reverse the connection, and in turn see Harry's thoughts and invade his mind. This is obviously something we do no- "

"Did you just call him 'Harry'?" Sirius interrupted.

Severus scowled slightly at the Animagus and let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Black, that _would_ be the boy's name. As I was saying, we obviously do not want the Dark Lord to have access to Harry's mind. Albus and I have decided that the best way to prevent Harry from having his mind invaded is to have him learn Occlumency," Severus said, looking between Sirius and Remus for a reaction.

Remus' brow was furrowed as he gently rubbed his chin; he often did this when deep in thought. "How was the Dark Lord unaware of the connection before? I understand that the simple emotions of the snake unmasked Harry's panic within Voldemort's mind, but Harry has been saying for months that he can feel Voldemort's emotion, he knows when he's pissed and when he's pleased. Why didn't Voldemort have the same sort of connection, why hasn't he been feeling Harry's emotions as Harry's been feeling his?" Remus asked curiously. That was the only thing that did not add up in his mind. The only way that would be plausible was if –

"The connections are different. Think of it terms of a magnet, or a battery current if you will. There is a negative receiver, and a positive transmitter. Harry is the receiver; he attracts the thoughts and emotions through an open current. The Dark Lord is the transmitter; he emits thoughts and emotions out to a receiver, which happens to be Harry. In order to possess someone, the possessed individual needs to be a receiver, be open to the currents being emitted. Animals are natural receivers. While the Dark Lord was emitting his thoughts to Nagini to possess her, she was receiving them and doing his biding. When Harry entered the Dark Lord's mind as well, his concentration was split as there were two receivers now. When one emits thoughts and emotions, most of the time it is not on purpose, it is a natural reflex of the mind; that is why most wizards learn Occlumency.

The Dark Lord is a skilled Occlumens and Legilimens, so he is very cautious when sending and receiving currents. When Harry sees into his mind, he does not feel his presence. On the night of the attack, however, the Dark Lord was purposely emitting his thoughts to the snake, and was therefore aware of any receiving currents. As Harry entered his mind, he realized that there was more than one receiver and, using reverse Legilimency, he figured out that it was indeed Harry. Now that he knows he can reverse the current, he can easily change to a receiver and attract the currents that Harry unknowingly emits. If Harry were to learn Occlumency, he could shut his mind off from receiving and emitting to any outside source unless personally projected through Legilimency, which is a different subject completely and will not be included in his lessons- "

"Wait, wait! I'm really confused here. I understand all this receiving and emitting nonsense, but I don't understand _how_ Harry and Voldemort come to have a connection in the first place. Yes, Harry survived His killing curse, but other than the scar, he was unharmed, right?" Sirius asked, looking between Snape and Dumbledore with wide eyes.

Severus exchanged a look with Dumbledore before pausing to carefully choose his next words. "Harry was unharmed physically, other than the scar, but there may have been a deeper kind of damage, something not easily seen or detected. There is actually no evidence to our thoughts other than this connection between Harry and the Dark Lord."

"What kind of deeper damage?" Remus asked, starting to feel a bit worried himself. The whole conversation was starting to sound decidedly dark.

Severus looked to Dumbledore, who gave a curt nod. "The killing curse that Harry survived may have affected his soul directly. It would explain the connection between their minds; if they shared part of a soul, the emotions they receive would be felt as if they were occurring in their own psyche," Severus said slowly, waiting for Sirius to explode at any second from the look on his face.

There was a stunned silence for a few seconds; Remus looked horrified while Sirius still looked slightly confused.

"So…you're saying that Harry shares a soul with Voldemort?" Sirius asked, directing his question to Dumbledore.

But it wasn't Dumbledore who answered. "No…He's saying that a part of Voldemort is in Harry's soul. Harry is the receiver, he feels the emotions; therefore, it is Harry's soul that is affected, not Voldemort's," Remus said as he turned to look at his husband.

Severus nodded slowly. "That is mostly correct. You are wrong in saying that the Dark Lord's soul was unaffected by his failed curse, though. The act of killing tears the soul apart. When His curse failed, He transferred a piece of his torn soul to Harry."

"Voldemort is ripping his soul apart of putting it into other people?" Sirius asked, highly alarmed by this information.

Severus gave an annoyed sort of tsk and shook his head. "No, the situation is unique. Because of Lily's sacrifice, Harry was protected from being killed. Usually when somebody attempts to kill, the piece of soul torn away is reattached to the killer's soul after the victim's death, or is transferred to an inanimate object. Because the Dark Lord's victim did not die, the piece of soul transferred to Harry because it was seeking refuge since the Dark Lord became broken after the failed curse. None of this is an exact science, but it is the best information we have. Harry needs to learn Occlumency or he is leaving his mind wide open to the Dark Lord's manipulations," Severus concluded, trying very hard to keep his temper under control and explain coherently at the same time. He realized he had let a vital piece of information slip and was hoping against hope that nobody picked up on it.

Remus was staring at Severus with wide eyes. "…'or is transferred to an inanimate object'? Severus….that's a lot like a Horc- "

"That is a whole different subject that we do not need to discuss just now. We are still focusing on Harry at the moment," Dumbledore cut in, obviously ending Remus' train of thought.

Sirius looked slightly annoyed but nodded slowly. "So…Who's going to be teaching Harry Occlumency?"

Severus raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. "I am."

"The hell you are…" Sirius said quietly, his voice calm and deadly. He stared across the table at his past enemy. Truce or no truce, Sirius did not trust him with Harry.

"Sirius, really, I thought you two had made a truce? Severus is highly qualified to teach him, and it sounds extremely important that Harry learns Occlumency. Please don't let this stupid grudge keep Harry from getting the help he needs," Remus said as he grasped Sirius' hand on the top of the table.

Sirius looked over to Dumbledore, who had been strangely quiet throughout most of the conversation. "Why can't you teach him, Albus? Surely Severus isn't more qualified than yourself?" Sirius asked, a little more bitterly than he had originally intended.

Dumbledore sighed as he looked across the table at Sirius. "I am very busy these days, Sirius. I would like nothing more than to teach Harry myself, but I'm afraid I just do not have the time. Severus has graciously agreed to give up his evening one night a week to teach Harry. We should all be grateful that Severus be so kind."

Sirius scoffed as he stood up from the table, dropping Remus' hand from his own. "Oh yes, I'm just _tickled_ that dear Severus is such a _lovely_ person," Sirius snapped. He paced across the small kitchen, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"There is something else as well, Sirius," Dumbledore said, ignoring the irritated man's pacing.

Sirius stopped in his tracks and looked over at Dumbledore. "Oh, more good news, then?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"Sirius, sit down," Remus growled under his breath.

Sirius glared but did as his husband said, sitting back down in the chair beside the werewolf.

"Funny, I seem to remember Lupin kneeling, not you," Severus drawled with a smirk.

"Severus, that is enough! You both need to get over your differences for Harry's sake. Can we all grow up, please?" Remus said exasperatedly as he glared across the table at the Potions Master.

Dumbledore waited for the men to stop glaring at each other and turn their attention to him before he continued. "Harry has expressed on numerous occasions that he does not enjoy spending his summer holidays with his Aunt and Uncle in Surrey. They are not the nicest people in the world, but they are his only family. As Harry's godfather, you would have legal rights to the boy if you were not on the run yourself. Since you and Remus are married now, that would make you co-guardians – if same-sex marriage were legal in London, that is. There is a loop hole I have discovered, however," Dumbledore said, that familiar twinkle resurfacing in his bright blue eyes.

Sirius raised an eyebrow as Remus looked curiously over at him, not quite sure exactly where this conversation was going. "What do you mean, sir?" Remus asked slowly as Sirius rubbed his leg gently underneath the table.

"By magical law, and I don't mean the laws set by the Ministry, when two people Join souls, they are in a forever binding contract in which they must share everything. This includes guardianship of any minors. So, technically, Remus is now Harry's legal guardian; legal by the laws of magic," Dumbledore explained, smiling warmly at the couple.

Remus looked slightly mollified and Sirius was _still_ confused. "I don't understand, Albus. What are you trying to say? Legal or not, we'd take Harry into our home in a heartbeat," said Sirius, Remus nodding beside him.

"You misunderstand my use of the word legal, I think. I'm speaking of the laws of _magic, _the same laws of magic that made Lily's sacrificial protection of her son possible. I believed it was only in blood that Harry had this protection, but I was wrong. Whoever is Harry's guardian, or parent for lack of a better word, can provide that same protection that runs in Lily's blood lines."

"So…I've basically…adopted Harry?" Remus asked very slowly as he looked disbelievingly at his old Headmaster. Was it true, was it even possible? Remus and Sirius had wanted nothing more than Harry to come live with them, so they could live as a family. Could that be possible now?

"Yes, Remus. As long as Harry calls wherever _you_ live home, he is still protected by his mother's sacrifice. It was not just her blood, but the love of a parent that was sacrificed," Dumbledore said softly as he took in Remus' shocked expression and Sirius' slightly still confused expression.

"Why not me? Why isn't it the same for me? If this is only going by the laws of magic, then shouldn't the same be said for me?" Sirius asked slightly defensively.

"You share everything now, Sirius, so yes; the same can be said for you. Wherever you two live and Harry calls home, he is safe. Congratulations Mssrs. Black and Lupin-Black, it's a boy," Dumbledore said with a cheeky sort of grin and a soft chuckle.

Sirius let out a slow breath and laughed. "Harry's going to come live with us…"

"For the holidays and for however long after Hogwarts he wishes, yes. The rights that were stripped from you as Harry's godfather when you were imprisoned have now been more or less restored, in a manner of speaking." Dumbledore beamed at Sirius momentarily before suddenly standing up. "Well, I think we've gotten everything covered. Severus, you will need to meet with Harry before he leaves today to set up your first lesson. Have a wonderful day." And with that, the old man swept out of the kitchen, leaving the other four occupants slightly rattled by his sudden departure.

Molly stood up and clapped her hands together as she smiled at Remus and Sirius, who were still both smirking at the shocking news. "Well, then. I should wake the children for their breakfast so that they can have time to pack before they must go back to school. I daresay you'll want to have a chat with Harry?" Molly asked as she crossed the kitchen and headed for the door.

Remus nodded as Sirius wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. "Of course, thank you, Molly."

Severus glared slightly at the couple from across the table, clearly not enjoying the spectacle of affection. Wanting to get this out of the way as soon as possible, Severus decided to stay and tell Harry about the lovely new lessons after the boy had finished breakfast…Or perhaps before – he simply did not want to spend a second longer than he had to in this wretched house.

"Thank you for offering to help Harry, Severus. We really do appreciate it," Remus said as he smiled at the dark haired man across the table.

Sirius looked ready to protest his being included in that thanks but bit his tongue as the children started to flood into the kitchen, stopping abruptly as they caught sight of Snape sitting at the table. He turned to see Harry glaring slightly at the Potions Master and felt his heart warm for his Godson. "Morning, kids!"

There was a mumbled greeting of 'morning' as the kids all took seats, trying to sit as far away from Snape as possible. Ron groaned when he was left to sit in the only seat left beside Snape.

"I don't bite, Weasley. I'm only here to discuss some things with Harry, and then I will surely be gone."

Harry glanced slightly worriedly at Sirius and Remus, sitting beside them and across from Hermione, who was sitting beside Ron. "What's going on?" Harry asked as his eyes flicked between Snape and Sirius. "And did you just call me Harry?"

Severus rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Why is it such a shock that I should call you by your proper name? You all act like I've never addressed him as such before."

"You haven't," heralded the table at large, causing a round of chuckles and a glare from the Potions Master.

"Anyways…You will be taking extra lessons with me for the rest of the term, _Potter_. I want you at my office at six o'clock Monday evening. Do not be late. Are we understood?" Severus asked as he stood from the table and swung his cloak back over his shoulders.

Harry looked horrified at the mere thought and was looking pleadingly at Sirius. He caught Remus' look of warning from beside Sirius and begrudgingly turned to Snape and nodded. "Yeah…Six o'clock on Monday; got it."

Severus gave a curt nod and swept out of the kitchen, leaving the children staring after him with looks of shocked sympathy for Harry.

After breakfast, Sirius and Remus took up the task of informing Harry of the reasons and purposes for the extra lessons, leaving out any information that might scare or worry Harry. The children all gathered their trunks and stood before the door, hugging and telling their goodbyes to the Weasley's and Sirius.

Harry turned towards Sirius, the sense of foreboding that was swimming in his stomach threatening to choke him. It was his last chance to warn Sirius to be careful, to stay safe. He was pulled into a hug and sighed when Sirius whispered into his ear.

"Take care of yourself, Harry. Don't let Snape get under your skin, eh? I've slipped something into your coat pocket. Don't open it near Remus, he'll recognize it. See you when term's out."

Harry squeezed his Godfather tightly before reluctantly pulling away. "Thanks, Sirius. See you…Be careful yourself, eh?"

Sirius let out a bark like laugh as he swept his onyx bangs out of his charcoal grey eyes. "Yeah, I'll be sure to stay out of danger locked up in this bloody hell hole." He turned to Remus, who would be helping to escort the children back to Hogwarts. "Be safe, Moony. Come back in one piece, yeah? I love you," Sirius whispered as he pulled his husband close and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

Remus beamed as he hugged Sirius, well use to the dramatic goodbyes even though he would be back in the blink of an eye. "I love you too, Padfoot. See you in a bit."

The door closed after the flood of red heads and Harry, Hermione, and Remus stepped out, the ominous bang of the front door closing mocking Sirius as he grumbled and headed up stairs to his bedroom. He had absolutely no desire to have Molly gaze at him reproachfully while Arthur smiled at him sympathetically. Really, he liked the Weasley's, but sometimes a man just needed to brood and be done with it.

RSRSRSRS

January and February passed in a flash, with nothing more exciting than a few raids of Death Eater hide-outs and falsely hopeful leads from the guarding of The Department of Mysteries. The Order met somewhat regularly, but no serious missions had been planned or carried out since before the Christmas holidays. It seemed like the impending war had come to a sudden standstill, but there was a certain tension in the air that clearly stated that something big was going to happen – and soon.

It was the beginning of March and the bitter winter was beginning to blossom into a promising spring; not that Sirius had any idea of that, considering he was still cooped up and hidden away. The only thing Sirius was looking forward to was Remus' birthday, which was coming up in a week.

Remus was sitting between Sirius' legs with his back leaning comfortably against Sirius' chest, a book propped open in his hands as he savored the feeling of Sirius' fingers carding through his hair. He closed his book with a sigh as he snuggled closer to his husband. "I'm old…"

Sirius chuckled as he ran a hand through Remus' hair, finding that he very much liked the subtle streaks of grey in the werewolf's golden hair. "You're not old, Moony! Thirty-six is still very young. So what do you want for your birthday, Moony? It's only a few days away…" Sirius teased with a quick kiss to the temple.

Remus let a small smile trace his lips as his eyes closed out of pure comfort. He was not altogether reassured that he wasn't old, but he didn't need to prove himself to anyone. He had Sirius and that's all he needed; thirty-six or sixty-three. "I dunno, Padfoot…I don't really want anything, I just want to be here with you and relax, and maybe some chocolate cake, but I know Molly is plotting a cake already. I'm not a picky man," Remus assured his husband.

Sirius sighed as he wrapped an arm around the werewolf's chest and held him close, smelling the fruity shampoo in his golden locks as he took a deep breath. "Clearly, or else you wouldn't be married to me."

"Sirius! Don't say that! I'm damn lucky to have you and I'll never forget that," Remus admonished, clearly a bit stung by the Animagus' words.

"Keep your shirt on, Moony; I was only poking fun. There has to be _something_ you want for your birthday, Rem. Come on, think!" Sirius encouraged, tracing a faint scar on Remus' bare chest.

Remus sighed heavily as a slight frown graced his lips. "Sirius…the only things I want, you can't give me."

"Yeah? And why's that?"

Remus turned so that he was mostly facing Sirius, the frown still saddening his features. "I want for you to be free and cleared of all charges. To be able to walk down the street with my husband. To never be afraid of the full moon again…For Harry to be safe and not have to carry this burden upon his shoulders anymore. I just want the world to not be so fucked up, but I can't have that…"

Sirius' expression softened as he pulled Remus close and kissed him firmly, cupping his smooth but scarred cheek. "Soon, my love…soon. I'll be cleared once Pettigrew is caught and we can walk down the street all we want. I'll find some way to take down the moon for you, and Harry will help us live our happily ever after, yeah? I'll find some way to make you happy, Remus…I promise," Sirius whispered against the werewolf's lips.

"Oh Sirius, I am happy. I'm happy here with you and I'm grateful for what I have. I guess I'm entitled to a fit of nostalgia or two. Though I can't say my younger years were too pleasant after Hogwarts, sometimes I wish we were back at school with James and Lily, and even Peter before he betrayed us all…I'm being a barmy old man, Sirius…Forgive me," Remus said as he snuggled closer to Sirius and placed a soft kiss on his husband's neck.

Sirius held Remus as he leaned against the headboard, wishing he could make all his promises come true, if only it would take that frown off of his lover's face. "You're not old, or barmy…Ok, well maybe a little bit barmy, but certainly not old."

Remus couldn't help but laugh as sleep threatened to take him over. It had to be well past midnight, and Remus was dreading the few shorts days that led up to his thirty-sixth birthday. "Love you, Sirius…" he whispered tiredly as his eyes slid closed.

Sirius kissed the top of Remus' head as he pulled the duvet over both of them, snuggling the werewolf as he scooted down into the bed. "Love you too, Moony…" Sirius thanked his lucky stars to be able to hold Remus like this, and he wouldn't give it up for the world.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm well aware that I have changed around a lot of the events surrounding the Christmas holidays and the ways in which Harry is informed of the Occlumency lessons. I shall now show you all my Artistic License, fully certified, lol. Yes, there was a large time skip, but considering this fic is about Remus and Sirius and _not_ Harry, it made sense to skip ahead to a part where they'd come in at. I'm not too far off the mark of canon…Thanks for reading and I hope you stick it through till the end! Ciao!


	26. Happy Birthday Moony

**A/N:** Ok, so I'm ridiculously sorry that it has taken me so horribly long to get this chapter out. I'm also sorry that this chapter is kind of crappy and sort of filler-ish. I've been going through some pretty rough times lately and just haven't had the time nor energy to write.

You see, my (future) mother in law got extremely ill and was in the hospital for awhile. She ended up being but on life support, but would never recover or wake up again. She was gone. We as a family took her off the ventilators and she passed away on her own nine hours later. The whole family is taking it hard, as she was only 38 with a 12 year old daughter and a 19 year old son (my fiancé). I've been with him every waking moment (and sleeping as well) since she was admitted into the hospital, and have only just had the will power to write, but only because I knew it would distract me.

After the funeral is over and things start to calm down a bit, I'm sure my inspiration will come back. Until then, I just ask that all my readers be patient and stick with me through this rough patch. Thanks to all my readers who have stuck with me thus far! I'm predicting one more chapter and an epilogue, and then this will be finished. As for a prequel, I plan to write one, but not immediately after. I'll let this one cool down a bit before embarking on a new journey. Thanks for your understanding!

**WARNING:** Ah, but there is a surprise in this long awaited, crappy chapter. You know how I said the last smut was a couple chapters back? I LIED! Smutty goodness to come in this chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 26.  
Happy Birthday Moony**

"MOONY!"

Remus sat bolt upright in bed, his forehead hitting the headboard as he became tangled in the sheets. 'Son of a – !"

Sirius tried to hold down his laughter as he crawled across the bed and untangled his husband from their blankets, placing a chaste kiss on the werewolf's forehead. "Sorry, love. I didn't think that would startle you so much."

Remus growled under his breath as he gave Sirius and almighty shove, smirking as he heard the thud and groan that meant the Animagus had met the floor.

"Argh! What the bloody hell was that for, eh?" Sirius grumbled as he stood up from the floor, rubbing his sore bum and looking all the part of a kicked puppy.

Remus snorted as he tossed a pillow at his lover. "You scream like Merlin himself was raping you and wake me from a dead sleep, only to have me realize it's my bloody birthday. Did you expect a better reaction than that?"

Sirius chuckled as he bounded onto the bed and straddled Remus' hips. "Fair point, Moony my love, but it's your birthday! Come on, it's supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year!" Sirius exclaimed, wriggling his hips a little to tease the werewolf.

Remus groaned and pushed Sirius off, curling his legs up to his chest as he frowned. "Bollocks, Padfoot. I'm old, and today just makes me old_er_…happy my arse."

Sirius touched a hand to Remus' shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "You're not old, Remus. Now stop brooding so we can go down and bug Molly about that chocolate cake of yours, eh? Oh, I almost forgot!" Sirius reached over to his bedside table and lifted a small photo album. He beamed as he handed it over to Remus. "Happy birthday, Moony."

Remus leveled a heavy sigh as he took the album from Sirius and pulled the end of the ribbon tying it closed, watching it fall away from the small, silver book. He opened the front cover and felt his face break into a warm smile as he was greeted with a picture of their new family, taken on the day of their wedding. Remus and Sirius were wrapped around each other in a passionate kiss until the real Remus poked the picture and separated them. The photo Harry standing beside them rolled his eyes and waved lazily with a cheeky grin very reminiscent of his late father. As Remus flipped through the rest of the album, it became evident that it was filled with wedding pictures. Though they had their official wedding album, this was more personal, with pictures that the different guests had taken and made copies of for the happy couple.

In the very back was a picture clearly shot inconspicuously by a guest, who tried to hide their camera behind a centre piece on one of the tables. Severus was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his usual expressionless face on as he observed the shenanigans from afar. Just then, Harry ran across the picture and grabbed Severus around the neck and held his camera out at arm's length, snapping a quick picture before running away once more. Remus couldn't help but chuckle heartily at the bemused look on photo-Severus' face. He turned the page and saw the picture that Harry must have snapped when he attacked Severus. It made Remus' smile widen even further. Harry was giggling raucously as Severus was pulled down towards him by the neck, looking scandalized at first, then smiling and chuckling along with Harry. Wizarding photos really were amazing.

"I took that one before. Harry was dared to do it by Ron. I thought it was amusing how Snape actually smiled instead of scowled. Maybe he is changing…"

"Thank you, Sirius. I love it," Remus said as he leaned over and kissed Sirius gently on the lips. He was glad for such a simple gift, weary of Sirius spending gobs of money on him for something he didn't need.

"Yes, well, it took me quite awhile to get all of those pictures from the various guests but I got it done in time for your birthday at least. Let's go down for breakfast so we can hurry back up and have birthday sex," Sirius teased as he stood up and stretched high above his head.

Remus rolled his eyes but smiled as he too stood up. However daunting it was to turn thirty-six, he was glad that Sirius wasn't making too big a deal out of it. "I like that, Sirius. _You_ get sex on _my_ birthday."

Sirius smirked as he walked around the bed and pulled the werewolf close, a glimmer of mischief in his grey eyes. "Ah, but that's all part of my evil scheme, you see; if you want birthday sex, you have to get it from me, so we both win."

Remus chuckled before kissing Sirius firmly on the lips and pulling away. "I guess Slytherin blood does run in your family, Padfoot," Remus said as he started to pull some trousers on.

"Oi! No need to insult me, Moony my love," Sirius quipped as he pulled on a black shirt and some grey slacks.

Remus just laughed and shook his head before both men headed out of their room and down to breakfast. Once inside the kitchen, Molly sat two plates before them and poured them some tea.

"Good morning, and happy birthday, Remus!" she chided as she sat the tea pot aside. "You've a few packages already. They're there on the counter," Molly said as she pointed to a small mountain of boxes on the kitchen counter.

Sirius was up and out of his seat in a flash, groping through the various packages to read who they were from. "Good haul this year, Moony. Ah, here's one from Harry," said Sirius as he handed a medium sized parcel to the werewolf.

Remus took the box and carefully unwrapped the garish paper glittered with snitches and Quaffles; very fitting for a gift from Harry. Remus opened the box and pulled out a picture frame, titanium and fairly heavy. There was a picture of Harry in his Quidditch robes, his hair mussed like he had just finished a game or practice, and his Firebolt was clutched in his hands. He smiled and waved up through the frame at Remus. At the bottom of the frame was the word 'Family' written in elaborate script.

"Wow, he looks _exactly_ like James in that picture…" Sirius said as he leaned over Remus' shoulder to get a better look at the picture frame.

Remus smiled and rubbed a thumb along the edge of the frame. "Yes, he does…" He leaned over and kissed Sirius gently on the lips before standing and going to the rest of his gifts on the counter, opening each one and setting them aside.

"Who's this from? It's not marked; do you remember how it was delivered, Molly?" asked Remus as he held up a small, black package.

Molly looked over and smiled lightly as she nodded. "Oh yes, I remember. That was delivered by hand late last night, in fact. It's from Severus," she explained, trying not to sound too surprised about it herself.

Remus' eye brow shot up as he looked down at the small gift. Why on earth was Severus Snape giving him a birthday present? Had the man clearly lost his mind? "Figures, it's wrapped in black with no name on it. It screams Snape."

Sirius guffawed into his cup of tea, making a right mess of his shirt. With a flick of his wand, the mess was gone, and he was standing beside Remus, looking curiously down at the package. "What in Merlin's name could Snape possibly give you?"

Remus shrugged and shook his head. "No idea, but I guess we'll find out, eh?" he said as he unwrapped the gift. It was a small box, indicative of jewelry, which only served to confuse Remus more. He open the little box and saw that it was a necklace with a pentagram pendant.

"Does he think you worship Satan now, Moony?" Sirius asked, a bit bemused about the gift.

Remus shook his head slowly as he realized why Severus must have given him this particular symbol. "It's an ancient belief…The pentagram is supposed to represent the planetary positions in relation to the moon. When the planets form the shape of a pentagram in their separate orbits around the sun, it is said that the star Sirius is in between the moon and the rest of the planets. Very ancient…The guard dog of the world…" Remus had started to ramble there at the end as the knowledge swam easily through his mind. The significance of this little gift was a bit overwhelming, especially coming from someone like Severus Snape.

"You're babbling, Moony. I'm not sure I understand..." Sirius said as he lifted the small pendant to get a better look at it. He noticed that something was etched on the bottom. "Look, there's something written here," Sirius pointed out.

A closer look revealed a short saying written in miniscule letters on the circle around the five-point star. "'Forever Guarded by Sirius'…I don't understand why he would give me something like this. It's a very old belief held by ancient werewolves that the Canis Major constellation can protect us against the full moon. You were named after the brightest star in the constellation, Sirius. I had no idea Severus was knowledgeable to ancient werewolf beliefs." Remus turned to smile at Sirius, feeling very old indeed as he thought of the old memory. "That's why I've always said it was extremely ironic that someone with your namesake would be with me…Remember that one time in the hospital wing fourth year when you told me that you always felt like you needed to protect me, and I told you it was written in the stars? You'd thought I'd gone insane, but this is what I was talking about."

Sirius nodded as he recalled the memory of that particular night in the hospital wing. He finally understood it now, and with that came the realization of just how much that necklace must mean to Remus. He had a strong urge to hug Snape. "I remember. That just proves it then, Moony. We really were meant to be." He turned to look at Molly, who looked extremely close to tears. "Next time Snape shows up, can you ask him when exactly he grew a heart?" he said with a cheeky grin.

Remus chuckled and smacked Sirius playfully on the arm. "Be nice, Sirius. It's a _very_ thoughtful gift."

Sirius scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was being nice! I recognized that he had a heart didn't I?"

Remus just laughed as he clasped the necklace around his neck and looked down at the small pentagram, smiling to himself. Things were changing quickly, but he'd never felt happier in his life.

RSRSRS

Sirius ducked under the covers and snuggled closer to Remus, who closed his book and set it aside on the bedside table. "So Moony, do you still hate your birthday?"

Remus smiled as he wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist and pulled him close. "Well, I hate the getting older part, but the gifts part is alright I suppose."

Sirius chuckled before kissing Remus gently on the temple. "You will forever be the awkward teenager I fell in love with so many years ago to me," he said with a cheeky grin.

Remus laughed and pushed Sirius playfully. "Oh thanks, that makes me feel so much better, Padfoot. Thank you for not making such a big deal out of my birthday, though. I appreciate it. I hate when people make a big fuss over me."

"You didn't seem to mind so much on our wedding day."

"Hey, I'm allowed to act like a pampered ponce on my wedding day, thank you very much. I may not seem it, but you know I'm as flaming as they come."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and bit his bottom lip. "Oh, I do know. Would you like to remind me how, Moony?"

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled at his husband. "You're such a horn dog, Padfoot. Isn't it my job to instigate birthday sex on _my_ birthday?"

"Does that mean yes?" Sirius asked as he straddled Remus' hips playfully.

Remus smirked and flipped their positions quickly, looming over Sirius predatorily. "Well, I guess it is. It's only two in the afternoon, you know."

"Yeah, so? Is it illegal to have sex during the day?" Sirius asked as he pushed his hips up teasingly against the werewolf.

Remus let out a soft moan and leaned down to kiss Sirius. "No, I don't suppose it – "

A muffled yell could be heard from somewhere downstairs. It sounded like a male voice, so they knew it couldn't be Molly.

Remus groaned and hung his head frustratedly before standing up once more. "I'll go check to see who it is. I bet it's just – "

"REMUS!"

Sirius jumped out of bed and walked to the door, opening it wide to hear whoever it was calling. "I think that's Harry's voice. Go check, I'll be right down," Sirius said as he tried to pull his clothes back on.

"Alright. Do you think something's wrong?"

"I dunno, do I?" Sirius said as he pulled on some pants over his boxers.

Remus shrugged as he left the bedroom, walking quickly down the stairs and towards the voice that he now recognized unmistakably as Harry's.

RSRSRS

Remus sat back in his chair, sipping slowly at his tea. Sirius was pacing behind him, muttering quietly to himself.

"Sirius, please. Sit down and calm yourself."

"How could he stop giving Harry Occlumency lessons? The man has always been a real piece of work, but really! This is a matter of Harry's safety! Isn't he under a Vow to keep Harry safe as an Order member? Harry mustn't let Voldemort into his mind again! I swear to Merlin, if Severus Snape doesn't pull his head out of his – !"

"Sirius! I'm just as worried about Harry as you are, but Severus is obviously just upset about Harry seeing that particular memory. Give him some time to cool off a bit. I'm sure he'll come to his senses and teach Harry once more," Remus said quietly, tugging on Sirius' arm to try to make him sit down.

Sirius sighed heavily as he sat down in the chair next to Remus, glaring at his tea cup as if it had done him a serious personal wrong. "He's got the wrong impression of James. That was the worst example of who his father was, and now he thinks he was every bit as arrogant as Snape tries to tell him. It's not fair to James for his son to think of him that way, it really isn't."

Remus shook his head, though he did agree for the most part. "Harry is mature enough to know that everyone makes mistakes, and who his father was cannot be based on a single memory. He knows so little about his parents, what did you expect him to think?" Remus asked as he rubbed Sirius' leg gently underneath the kitchen table.

Sirius shrugged as he frowned into his tea cup. "I dunno, but I don't like that Harry saw that memory. That's just not who James was."

"I know, but we'll have plenty of time to tell him all about who James really was this summer. James' memory will not be stained in Harry's mind after seeing one memory, I'm sure."

Sirius leaned over and kissed Remus gently on the lips. "I hope you're right."

Remus kissed him back and leaned his forehead against the Animagus'. "Of course I am, love. Now let's go finish what we started, eh?"

Sirius chuckled and stood up, leading Remus back upstairs by the hand. It had been a long day, and it was still only four in the afternoon. After all that, Sirius thought it was the perfect time to shag their brains out and sleep for as long as possible. Once they had reached the room, Sirius pulled Remus close and pressed his lips to his. One hand was carding through the werewolf's hair, while the other was groping his backside and pushing his hips closer to Sirius'.

"Mmm…bed, Padfoot," Remus moaned as he felt Sirius' growing erection pressing into his thigh. He began to pull his husband back towards their bed, trying to strip off his shirt and still kiss Sirius at the same time. He managed to pull the Animagus on top of him as he fell back onto the bed, his shirt pulled halfway off.

"You suck at undressing, Moony," Sirius said with smirk as he pulled away and removed his own shirt before attacking Remus' neck in kisses and nibbles.

Remus bit his lip as he tried to give Sirius better access to his neck. "You do it, then, if you're so much better at it than me."

Sirius quickly pulled Remus' shirt up over his head and tossed it to the side to lay with his own shirt. He moved back to the werewolf's neck, and then trailed wet, open mouthed kisses down his chest, then circling one pale pink nub with his tongue. He felt his cock twitch at the loud moan that escaped his lover's throat. He moved his mouth to the other nipple, letting his tongue lap at the hardening nub before biting it gently.

Remus gasped and pushed his hips up to grind against Sirius'. Sirius didn't usually pay this much attention to the smaller pleasures, but he knew he was in for a bit more than usual since it was his birthday, after all. "Please, Sirius…Suck me."

Sirius groaned slightly at Remus' pleading as he moved further down and began to unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. One swift tug later and the werewolf's pants and boxers both were being tossed to the floor. Remus' beautiful, very well proportioned cock was hard and red, the head glistening with precome. Sirius began to tug it slowly, and then lowered his mouth over the tip, swiping his tongue over the head and lapping up the leaking precome and savouring the salty taste.

"Oh fuck, Sirius. Don't stop," Remus panted as he wove a hand into Sirius' ebony locks. He pushed his hips up to meet his lover's mouth, moaning as Sirius fisted his burning cock.

Sirius took in Remus' cock until he felt it hitting the back of his throat. He ran his tongue up and down the length of flesh in his mouth, cupping Remus' balls as he began to move his mouth up and down. Remus' moaning was driving him crazy and it was all he could do to not spill his own load. He could feel Remus' climax building, so he pulled away and moved up to kiss Remus firmly on the lips, slipping his tongue in and sharing the taste of his cock.

Remus groaned in disappointment, but kissed Sirius back, biting down lightly on his lover's tongue. "I said not to stop, you arse."

Sirius chuckled as he straddled Remus. "I don't want you to come yet. I want to come together."

"Then why are your pants still on?" Remus said as he rolled over and pinned Sirius to the bed. He leaned down and bit at Sirius' neck playfully before tugging off his pants and boxers. He straddled Sirius' hips as he leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips. "I want to do it like this again," Remus said as he rubbed his hands up and down Sirius' chest.

Sirius bit his lip as he looked up at his beautiful husband. His amber eyes were a glistening gold and his hair was messy. He loved seeing Remus like this, so raw, so – imperfect, yet everything Sirius could wish for. "You can do whatever you want, Moony my love. It's your birthday fuck, after all."

Remus grinned predatorily, sending a shiver up Sirius' spine as his cock twitched between them. Remus was about to grab Sirius cock and lather it with lube when Sirius stopped him.

"Wait! I want to try something. I read about it, but I don't think we've ever tried it before. It's supposed to make it so that we don't have to use lube. Just…get on your hands and knees, I'll show you."

Remus chuckled and did as Sirius told him, wiggling his arse as he did so. "Mmm, this sounds mysteriously kinky – _oh!_ Sweet Merlin!"

Sirius was behind Remus now, spreading the werewolf's arse cheeks and pressing his tongue against Remus' puckered entrance. He pulled away for a second to see if Remus was uncomfortable. "Do you like that?"

"Fuck yes! Do it again!" Remus said as he pushed back towards Sirius.

Sirius circled the little ring with his tongue before pressing it to his lover's entrance once more. Remus spasmed and gasped, pushing back against Sirius' tongue. Sirius' cock began to leak precome as he moved his tongue, lapping at the tight hole in long strokes as Remus moaned at the sheer euphoria of Sirius there.

"Oh God! Stop or it'll all be over now," Remus said as his whole body shuddered violently. They had never tried anything like that before, but he knew he certainly wanted to try it again! For now, all he wanted was Sirius deep inside him and to finally lose control.

"Can I fuck you now, Moony?" Sirius whispered as he leaned over his lover and nipped at his ear.

Remus smirked before quickly shoving Sirius onto his back and straddling his hips. "There's no need to ask, Pads. You have an all-access pass."

Sirius let out a bark like laugh as he ran his hands up and down Remus' smooth, yet scarred sides. He loved the feeling of the raised skin of the scar tissue underneath his slightly roughed fingertips. He bit his lip as Remus reached behind himself for Sirius cock, then positioned himself above it and lowered himself slowly onto the burning flesh. Sirius could taste blood by the time Remus was completely filled and he only just realized he was shaking.

"Relax, love, or this will be done far too soon," Remus whispered as he leaned down to kiss Sirius gently on the lips.

Through all the many countless times he and Remus had been together, the slow, intimate times were his favourite, though he never minded a quick hard fuck. The slow, lithe movements of the werewolf's taut body were like some form of art, and Sirius was constantly mystified by Remus' beauty. How the man had managed not to shag the male population while he was locked in Azkaban, Sirius would never know, but he was glad that Remus had shared this with nobody but him. That for as long as they lived, Remus was his and his alone. It felt wonderful, and Sirius would never be able to escape the drug that was Remus.

Remus began to move slowly up and down, throwing his head back in pleasure as Sirius hit that special ball of nerves. He sped up in time with Sirius' grunts and groans, letting himself lose all worry and fear completely. When he was with Sirius like this, nothing else in the world mattered. He leaned forward and kissed Sirius as he rocked back, feeling Sirius lift his hips for better access. He let out a groan as he could feel his climax growing, and he pushed himself down harder, feeling Sirius tense up. A few strokes later and the two lovers were coming simultaneously, crying out in a symphony of pleasure. Remus collapsed onto Sirius' chest as his lover's spent cock slid easily out of him.

"Happy birthday, Moony…I love you."

Remus sighed contently and curled himself more firmly around his husband as he closed his eyes. "Love you too, Sirius…and it was a _very_ happy birthday."  


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**A/N:** Hope that was worth the wait, and I appreciate any and all reviews! Again, sorry for the long delay! Ciao!


	27. Through The Veil

**A/N:** I'm so very sad to say that this is the last chapter of Lying Low, though there is a short epilogue as well. It has been a long journey writing this tale, but I do not regret a single moment of it. I want to thank all my readers who have stuck with me and been there to enjoy and hate all the ups and downs of this story. I could not have gone on without the many reviews I have received from all my wonderful readers. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

I hope that you will all come back and read my next bit of work that I will be posting soon. This story is very different than the others I have done so far, but I hope you will all read it just the same. I'll give you a hint: the main characters are Snape and Harry, but there's no smut involved (gags at the very idea).

Thanks so much, and enjoy this last installment!

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**Ch 27.  
Through The Veil**

It was a lovely morning in June, the trees swaying in a rare cool breeze as a young child ran down the street chasing leaves. The sun was high and burning bright, making the squares around Grimmauld place shimmer in heat waves.

Of course, Sirius was just imagining all of this as he stared out the window, his arms crossed and his expression blank. Two more hours and Remus would be home from duty at the Ministry. The poor thing had to stay up all damn night two days after the full moon. Needless to say, Remus was going to be grouchy and much in need of rest. Sirius turned as the door to his room opened.

"Moony, I thought you had duty until ten?" Sirius said as the exhausted werewolf kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed, fully clothed.

Remus yawned widely before glancing up at his husband through weary eyes. "Tonks came to take over for me a bit early, bless her heart. She said she asked Dumbledore and he told her no, but she did it anyways. I'm weak, Sirius…could barely Apparate home. I'm too old for this shit," Remus mumbled as his eyes began to glide closed.

Sirius growled low under his breath at the thought of the man he loved so very drained. "Damn that blasted old man. He can go stand watch over a bloody door for eight hours after recovering from being ripped to shreds from now on; no more night shifts, Moony. I'll tell the bloody geezer myself if I have to." Sirius moved over and began to undress Remus as he lay sprawled out on their bed. "Sleep, my love; I'll take care of you…"

And that was the last thing Remus heard before he drifted off into much needed sleep.

RSRSRS

Sirius sat bolt upright in bed as he heard a horrible noise coming from upstairs a few hours later. It sounded like a bird being tortured –

"Buckbeak!" he called out, wondering what on earth was happening to the bird to make those noises. He was amazed Remus hadn't woken up from the racket, though he was pretty much passed out. He got out of bed as quickly and quietly as possible, pulling a dressing gown over his bare chest and boxer-clad bottom.

As he walked up the narrow flight of stairs, he saw Kreacher running from his mother's old bedroom into the old bathroom. "Kreacher!"

The old insane house elf had been missing for quite some time now. Sirius had even checked Buckbeak's room to make sure he wasn't in there and did not see any sign of the senile elf. He was confused about where the horrid thing had been hiding, but that didn't matter now. He needed to check to see what Kreacher had done to poor Buckbeak.

Sirius opened the large oak doors leading to the master bedroom. Buckbeak was lying on the broken down four-poster bed, licking a bleeding wound on his wing. He looked up at Sirius, his big brown eyes watering as he made a crooning noise.

"Damn that vile elf! What did he do to you, Beaky, old pal?" Sirius said as he knelt next to the injured Hippogriff, bowing his head to show he meant no harm. Buckbeak dipped his head and allowed Sirius to gently examine his wing.

"Bloody git fractured your wing, you poor thing," Sirius cooed as he waved his wand over Buckbeak's wing as he tried to figure out which healing spell to use on the large hybrid eagle-horse. He wasn't sure if human healing spells would be enough to heal the creature's injury, but he didn't want to wake Remus to ask him. He would try a few different ones before resorting to different measures.

"Hmm…Let's see, the bone healing spell might work, even though it's only a fracture. The extra power might help, seeing as you're not human, but you already know that. You do know that, right?" Sirius squinted over at the creature, who crowed softly and nudged Sirius' arm impatiently.

"Right, of course you do. I'm losing my bloody marbles, Beaky. Listen to me, holding a conversation with a Hippogriff, not that you're below such intelligence, but really, I think I've finally gone round the twist. What do you think?"

Buckbeak just stared at Sirius, blinking once as if to confirm Sirius' predictions of going insane. He let out a loud caw as he pawed at the ground, shifting uncomfortably as Sirius bristled a few of his feathers.

"Sorry mate, but I don't really have much of a choice. I could wait till Remus wakes up, but that means you'd have to stay in pain for longer. I really don't want to wake him. You see, he's barely gotten any sleep after the recent full moon, and a tired and weak Moony is not a happy Moony. Therefore, I think I should handle this one on my own and let the sleeping wolf lie, yes? I knew you'd agree."

Sirius sat with the Hippogriff for two hours, trying various healing spells and testing to see if they worked. He nearly got his hand bitten off twice, but eventually he managed to repair the wing. He sat in the old bedroom, just talking to the large bird about how hard it was to stay cooped up in the house he had grown to hate. The Hippogriff could relate, seeing as how the usually free-flying creature was cooped up in a small room as well. Sirius only realized how long he had been in there when he heard someone calling his name from the stairs.

"Dumbledore! To what do I owe – ?" Sirius began, but he sensed that something was very wrong by the expression on the old Headmaster's face. "What is it, what's happened?" he asked quickly as he hurried down the stairs towards the old man. Realizing he was still half naked, he twirled his wand and clothed himself in gray slacks and a black t-shirt. He hated Wizards robes.

Remus came out of the bedroom behind Dumbledore just in time to see Sirius' stricken expression. He had been asleep nearly all day and had no idea what was happening. "Sirius, is everything alright?" he asked as he moved closer to his husband, who was looking at Dumbledore as if waiting for a response.

Dumbledore clenched his fists before sighing heavily. "I want you to stay calm, Sirius, do you understand?"

Sirius felt his stomach drop as a whole plethora of horrors swam through his mind's eye at those words. The only reason he wasn't panicking already was because Remus was standing behind him, his arms wrapped around his waist. "That all depends on what you're about to say, Albus."

"Severus has just informed me that Harry is under the impression that you have been taken hostage by Voldemort and are currently at the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. Severus said the last time he saw Harry, he and Hermione were walking into the Forbidden Forest with Professor Umbridge, his friends following behind shortly after. None of them have reappeared. It is my belief that Harry and his friends have left the grounds completely to go in search of you," Dumbledore said calmly.

Sirius' face paled as he leaned heavily against Remus. "It's a trap…It's a fucking _trap_! How could he not realize that? This is all Snape's fault! Voldemort must have planted some false memory in Harry's mind to lure him to the Ministry! If Snape would have gotten over himself and taught Harry Occlumency properly, this wouldn't be happening! I'll kill – "

"Sirius, calm down, please," Remus said as he tightened his grip around Sirius. "Professor, what are you proposing we do? We can't just let Harry walk into a trap; we have to go stop him."

Dumbledore nodded gravely as a loud commotion could be heard from the front door down in the foyer. "Indeed we must. I have gathered as many Order members as I could to come help, but I wanted to come here and let Sirius know what was happening. I also think it would be pertinent that I ask Sirius if he would like to come along as well."

"Yes."

"_NO!_"

Sirius and Remus both answered at the same time, Sirius glaring at Remus and Remus glaring at Dumbledore.

"Are you completely fucking insane?" Remus asked, the questioned directed at Dumbledore and Sirius both. "You're the most wanted Wizard in the world! You can't walk into the Ministry right now. They'll lock you away as soon as you step foot inside. Have some sense, Sirius!" Remus turned to glare at Dumbledore once more, who was stoic as ever. "And _you_! How could you even suggest such an asinine idea? I thought _you_ were intelligent at least! Sirius is _not_ going!"

Sirius moved away from Remus, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression blazing with defiance. "Yes, I am. I need to be there for Harry, and if I have to risk being caught to help him, so be it. It's my responsibility as his godfather, Remus, and damn it, I will not sit back and watch him be trapped and killed by that fucking lunatic! You're my husband, not my keeper. I don't need your approval or permission to go, so don't waste your breath."

Remus felt as if he had been slapped by Sirius rather than admonished. He couldn't believe Dumbledore had invited Sirius to come along and march straight back into an Azkaban cell. Maybe he was using the wrong tactic; Sirius always fought fire with fire.

"Please, Sirius…You can't do this. Someone is bound to see you, recognize you and it'll all be over! You'll be doing Harry no good locked up in Azkaban, just like you did him no good for the twelve years you spent there before. Stay here, Sirius, stay safe…" Remus begged as he moved forward and cupped Sirius' cheeks in his hands. He really, truly didn't want Sirius to be in that kind of danger, he didn't want to lose him again when he so recently got him back.

Sirius' expression softened slightly as he looked into his husband's golden eyes. He could see the concern, feel the love, but this was too important. He couldn't stand sitting there at Grimmauld Place while everyone else went out to rescue Harry, it was just too much. "I'm sorry, Remus, but I'm coming too."

Remus felt so helpless, so powerless as he stared into Sirius' gray eyes. Something was going to go wrong, Remus could feel it in his gut, but no matter what he said, Sirius was not going to listen. He felt like he was the only one able to stop this, yet everyone was ignoring him. "Please…Something doesn't feel right, Siri."

Sirius was slightly taken aback by that. Remus never called him Siri unless he was really upset. Though that gave him slight pause, it still hadn't changed his mind. "I – "

Tonks bounded up the stairs, her hair mimicking Hermione's bushy curls as she looked around at the three men. "I hate to break this up, but we've got to get moving. Harry could be halfway through the Department by now."

Dumbledore turned and began leading the way down the stairs, Tonks, Remus, and Sirius following behind him. "Sirius and Remus, you'll be going with Tonks and Kingsley. They'll be able to cover you, Sirius. Alastor Moody is waiting there for us."

"Where exactly is 'there', Albus? Obviously the Department of Mysteries, but surely Harry doesn't know about the – "

"No, he does not know about the Prophecy, but I have a feeling that is going to change tonight. I'm positive that Voldemort is luring Harry to the Hall of Prophecy." Dumbledore led the way outside, pausing as he pulled out his wand.

"Disillusionment charm for you, I think, Sirius." He tapped Sirius sharply on the head, activating the spell that turned Sirius into a human chameleon.

Kingsley was waiting by the edge of the square, glancing around nervously. "There has been no alarm raised at the Ministry so far, Albus. If Harry and his friends are indeed there, they've been discreet."

Dumbledore nodded at the tall black man as he tucked his wand back into his robes. "I'm not sure whether that makes me feel better or worse. Thank you, Kingsley. Sirius, Remus, one each with Tonks and Kingsley for side-along Apparation."

Sirius quickly latched onto Tonks, forcing Remus to lightly hold onto Kingsley's arm and earning a glare from the werewolf. They started to scatter.

"Our main objective is to get Harry out alive, then worry about the other children – "

"They're just as important as Harry! I think priority should be to get _all_ the children out safely." Remus scoffed as they walked a bit further away from the square to Apparate more discreetly. Tonks and Sirius were already moving off in another direction, and Dumbledore had somehow already gone.

Kingsley shook his head firmly as he paused behind a large hedge, pulling Remus closer in preparation to Apparate. "This is far beyond just saving children, Lupin. Harry is far more valuable than the rest of them, as harsh as that sounds. We must focus on Harry, do you understand? If it becomes a choice between Harry and one of the other children, _you must save Harry_."

Remus nodded quickly, feeling horrible at the prospect of letting the other children fend for themselves. "I – yes, of course."

Kingsley nodded briskly before turning on the spot, the world around them going black as they were pulled through the air-tight tube of Apparation.

RSRSRS

There was a plain black door at the end of a windowless corridor. When Sirius looked up, he saw Mad-Eye standing with his back to the door, waving his hand quickly to coax them over. Behind them, Remus and Kingsley appeared, though the tell-tale pop of Apparation was absent.

"I can't see the children or the Death Eaters, but I can see through quite a bit of it. It's a complicated web in there, and we still don't know what we could find. I say we stick together as much as possible so that we're all ready to fight when we find them," Moody whispered as he slipped his wand out of his pocket.

"Where's Dumbledore? Wouldn't he be a bit helpful with getting through the Department? How many are we going to be facing in there?" Remus asked as he moved closer to Sirius, who was still disillusioned.

Moody switched his weight to the cane in his hand, his magical eye still boring into the black door behind him. "Dumbledore is doing his own thing, as usual. He doesn't always tell me these things, Lupin. I think we're collectively talented enough to get through alright, eh? I'm predicting quite a few Death Eaters, but I doubt Voldemort himself is in there fighting; he always sits back and watches his minions do the handy work. Just remember the main objective; get Harry out alive."

Moody waited for the consequent nods of approval before turning towards the door and pointing his wand at the handle. "_Abrire_." The door swung open slowly, revealing a large circular room. The remnants of a fiery red 'X' were fading from the back of one of the many doors surrounding the room. The door was left open behind them.

"Come through here. All of these doors lead into each other, but this one is a shorter trip to the middle."

They all walked through the door Moody was pointing to. The room was mostly bare, but there were desks and chairs thrown around the room. In the very middle, a huge tank full of green water was sloshing back and forth.

"Are those…_brains_?" Tonks asked as she cautiously moved towards the large tank. She reached out a hand to touch the glass of the tank, but was stopped by Remus grabbing her hand.

"Don't touch anything! Especially things that can think for themselves, Dora."

Moody nodded quickly in agreement as he moved around the room. There were many doors lining the walls, one of which led into a brightly lit room. The only thing Moody could see was a shelf smashing into the ground repeatedly, and then putting back together.

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream echoed through the room, making the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.

"Through here. That door leads the same way!"

Moody led Tonks and Kingsley through a door to the left as Sirius and Remus took the door to the right. They were standing on a narrow ledge of a stone pit, benches littering down the walls leading down to a stone dais, where an archway with a hanging veil was sitting. Harry was standing on the stone dais, his wand raised and his hand out stretched towards Lucius Malfoy, a small glass orb in the palm of his hand. Neville Longbottom was stirring on the ground in front of the dais, Bellatrix's wand trained on him as he sobbed and twitched in pain.

"_Stupefy!_" The red shot of light that shot from Tonks' wand hit Lucius Malfoy squarely in the chest as he brandished his wand to send a curse.

"_Stupefy!_ Somebody get to Harry!" Moody yelled as he stunned a surprised Death Eater from behind.

Remus was dueling with a masked Death Eater who had been standing closest to the top of the pit. He dodged a stunning spell and sent his own at the Death Eater, who ducked to avoid it and fell down to the stone step below. Remus jumped down to the step and continued to duel, wanting to incapacitate as many Death Eaters as possible so that the other children would not have to deal with them.

A curse shot passed Sirius' left ear, coming from a couple of steps below. Another masked Death Eater was running towards the group, but was stopped by a tripping jinx from Kingsley. Two more Death Eaters took over and began to duel with Kingsley.

Sirius went to help Kingsley but was distracted by a stinging hex from behind. The disillusionment charm had somehow been lifted. He turned and started to duel with yet another masked Death Eater, hopping down the stone steps towards where he could see Harry kneeling next to Neville. The Death Eater followed him, sending nasty hexes rapidly.

Bellatrix was attempting to revive Malfoy, but had to defend herself as Tonks sent stunner after stunner at the deranged woman. Tonks ducked a Killing Curse and continued to send stunners, all the while trying to search out Harry with her eyes.

"ARGH!" Moody screamed as he was hit by a cutting hex. He fell down three stone steps and lay motionless on the floor of the stone pit, his magical eye rolling away into the battle. He was bleeding from the head after smacking it against the hard floor.

Sirius didn't turn to see who had screamed as he moved swiftly across the stone floor, ducking and dodging curses in between sending his own. He stepped purposefully on the hand of Macnair, who was stunned and lying sprawled out on the ground. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" Sirius shouted as he saw Dolohov a few feet away point his wand at Harry, who was clutching the same glass orb in his palm. The Death Eater Sirius had been dueling fell motionless to the ground beside Macnair.

Sirius rushed over to Harry, smashing into Dolohov's shoulder and sending him flying. Dolohov regained his balance and started dueling with Sirius, all the while trying to get closer to Harry to take the Prophecy. He raised his wand and made a slashing motion towards Sirius.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Harry shouted as he ran towards Sirius. Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he fell to the ground with a loud crash.

"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing Harry to duck as two stunners came flying at them. "Now I want you to get out of – "

Sirius grabbed Harry and pulled him down once more as a jet of green light came soaring towards them. A gleeful cackle made Harry turn towards where Tonks was dueling with Bellatrix. Tonks was falling from halfway up the stone steps, her form limp as it bounced off of the stone seats. Bellatrix was still giggling insanely as she ran back towards the rest of the battle.

"Harry, take the Prophecy, grab Neville, and run!" Sirius yelled as he dashed towards Bellatrix to take up the duel that Tonks had lost.

Remus was dueling with Mulciber, who had torn his mask off as he sent Unforgivable after Unforgivable at him. He ducked a _Cruciatus_ and tried to send a shielding spell towards Harry. He watched as Bellatrix managed to finally revive Malfoy while still dueling Sirius. Malfoy flew towards Harry, wrapping his arm around his neck and jabbing his wand into his side.

"The Prophecy, give me the Prophecy, Potter!"

Harry rolled the small glass sphere across the floor to Neville, whose legs were still flailing about from a curse. Harry sent a curse at Malfoy, who flew backwards into the dais where Sirius was still dueling Bellatrix. Malfoy raised his wand and pointed it at Harry and Neville again.

Remus sent a stunner at Mulciber, who was caught unawares after watching the Prophecy roll across the floor. He fell to the ground hard, his body limp. Remus ran in between Malfoy's wand and Harry, turning towards the two teens.

"Harry, round up the others and GO!"

Remus turned around just in time to block a hex from Malfoy, who sent another one just as quickly. Remus had to duck next to one of the stone seats to avoid the Killing Curse that flew at him. Suddenly, a bright white light lit up next to him as the sound of breaking glass sounded.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_"

The hazy figure disappeared into the remnants of shattered glass lying on the ground. Everyone was staring at the middle of the room where the figure had just been, everyone except Sirius and Bellatrix, who were still dueling on the dais.

"DUBBLEDORE!"

Remus' head snapped around and saw Dumbledore, his wand held out in front of him and his ice blue eyes blazing in anger. He hopped quickly down the stone benches, pointing his wand at all the stray Death Eaters, who hadn't even realized he was there until he was on the last step.

Only one dueling couple hadn't yet realized Dumbledore had come to save the day. Sirius and Bellatrix were still dueling on the stone dais, now closer to the archway than ever. Sirius ducked Bellatrix's stunner as he laughed. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely in the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Remus stopped breathing as he turned towards the dais. Sirius was falling backwards, almost as if in slow motion. His back was a graceful arch, though his expression was one of fear and surprise. Remus began to move forward toward the dais, but his feet felt like they were made of concrete. He reached out a hand as if to stop Sirius from falling, but he was still twenty feet away from the arch.

"_No…_" Remus whimpered as he helplessly watched Sirius fall through the ripped veil in the archway. The veil rippled as if being blown by a light breeze before falling back down again.

Sirius was gone.

"SIRIUS! Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!"

Harry was running towards the dais, his wand pulled out as Dumbledore turned towards the scene. Remus began to run forward as well, but instead of jumping onto the dais, he grabbed Harry and held him back.

Remus was trying hard not to let Harry go and run through the veil himself. He felt moisture stabbing at his eyes as his heart shattered into a million pieces.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry – "

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through, Remus!" Harry begged as he struggled against Remus' arms.

Remus felt a tear slide down his cheek as he held tighter to Harry, almost like embracing him. "It's too late, Harry…"

"No!" Harry shouted, "We can still reach him – "

Harry struggled harder than ever, his nails scrabbling at Remus' hands as he tried to pry himself away to get to the archway, but Remus just held on. It took every bit of strength he had to say his next words; "There's nothing you can do, Harry…nothing…He's gone."

"He hasn't gone! Let me go, damn it, LET ME GO!"

Remus felt like he was going to pass out. It was all too much. He was not allowed to grieve because he needed to take care of Harry. Though he kept telling Harry there was nothing he could do, Remus still had the urge to run through the veil and bring Sirius back, bring his husband back to him.

"SIRIUS! Let me go, Remus! SIRIUS!"

"He can't come back, Harry," said Remus, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry. "He can't come back, because he's d – "

"HE – IS – NOT – DEAD!" roared Harry. "SIRIUS!"

Remus had to get Harry out of there, had to get him away to calm him down. He began to drag the flailing teen back away from the dais towards Neville, who was still being affected by a jinx. Remus began to feel slightly worried as Harry stopped struggling against him. He kept a precautionary hold on the boy's arms as Neville dragged himself closer to where they were standing.

Most of the Death Eaters had been grouped in the center of the room by Dumbledore. It was strangely quiet except for grunts and yells of curses coming from the dais, which Harry was still staring at. Kingsley had run forward to finish Sirius' duel with Bellatrix.

"Harry? Harry…I'b really sorry…" said Neville. His legs were still dancing uncontrollably. "Was dat man – was Sirius Black a – a friend of yours?"

Harry nodded robotically as he leaned his back against Remus' chest, his expression one of defeat and pure misery.

"Here," said Remus quietly, pointing his wand at Neville's legs. "_Finite_." The spell was lifted and Neville's legs fell back onto the floor and remained still. Remus was pale and shaking slightly. "Let's – let's find the others and get out of here. Where are they all, Neville?"

Remus turned away from the archway as he spoke, his chest aching as though his heart had truly broken. It sounded as though every word was causing him pain, and it was.

"Dey're all back dere," said Neville. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd – and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse – "

There was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais. Kingsley yelled in pain as he hit the ground. Bellatrix Lestrange turned tail and ran as Dumbledore whipped around. He aimed a spell at her but she deflected it. She was halfway up the steps now –

"Harry – no!" cried Remus, but Harry had already ripped his arms from Remus' slackened grip.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" he screamed. "SHE KILLED HIM – I'LL KILL HER!"

And then Harry was gone, chasing after Bellatrix, who slipped through the door back into the brain room. Remus turned to follow, but was hit with a stray stunner that had been sent by an Order member. Then all was black.

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**A/N:** Please don't hate me too much! I had planned for this ending a very long time ago, and I wanted to stick to canon. Review and let me know how much you all want to murder me! As a treat, I will post the Epilogue along with this chapter so that you all don't have to wait for another update. Ciao!


	28. Epilogue A Fitting Farewell

**A/N:** And last, but certainly not least, the epilogue! Thanks for reading and I hope the ending isn't too horrible!

A prequel is planned for some time in the future.

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**Ch 28.  
Epilogue - A Fitting Farewell**

Remus stood in black dress robes and looked out the window of his bedroom, watching as the wind blew around the loose leaves and dry grass. It was a particularly stormy summer day. It threatened rain, and smelt like it too. Remus loved the rain; he always had. The smell of the wet earth reminded him of his husband; of Sirius.

It had been two weeks since the tragedy at the Department of Mysteries. There had been no funeral, for there was no body to bury. Sirius was dead, but he was lost through veil forever. Remus still wanted to have some sort of services for his late husband, so he arranged for a memorial service to be held the week after the school year ended for Harry. There would be a headstone place beside James' and Lily's in the Godric's Hallow Cemetery for Sirius. That was where Remus was supposed to be heading soon, to start the service.

Harry. Hermione had written to Remus to assure him that Harry was doing ok, but he was so quiet and not himself. He wasn't devastated to hysterics, but he was not in any form of the word 'ok'. Remus' shattered heart ached at the very thought of it. Harry had come to stay with him at Grimmauld Place just until after the service, then he would have to return home to Surrey. He had been fairly withdrawn and quiet, but Harry had never been the loud rambunctious type either.

Remus himself hadn't left his and Sirius' bedroom for three days afterwards. He had curled up with Sirius' clothing and pillow after waking up from being stunned, sobbing uncontrollably. He cried until he could cry no more, then dry sobbed for many more hours. He could smell Sirius all around him, and he wished he could feel his warm, strong arms around his as well. He'd never feel Sirius hold him again, see him smile, hear him laugh, kiss him, hold him close…

Remus wiped the tears that had begun to stream down his cheeks away. He had never felt so very alone before, even when Sirius had been taken away to prison before. This was different – so very different. He knew before that there was a slight possibility that he'd ever see Sirius again, but now…now he knew for a fact that he would never see Sirius again. At least, not until Remus himself died, and then he would meet him again in the next journey.

There was a soft knock on his bedroom door. He turned to see Harry walk in, dressed in plain black dress robes with a small boutonniere pinned to his lapel. He walked over to Remus, holding out a similar one.

"I've got them all passed out, yours is the last one. Are you ready? It's getting pretty close…Looks like it's going to rain, too," Harry said quietly as he looked out the large window at the gray clouds.

"Thank you, Harry. I think I'm ready, are you?" Remus asked as he gently squeezed Harry's shoulder.

Harry averted his eyes, looking down at the carpet instead. He felt sort of numb about the whole thing. He missed Sirius, and he was definitely hurting from the loss, but a strange sense of peace had stolen over him. He was so calm, almost too calm.

"I miss him…but you must miss him more. God, Remus…I can't even imagine how painful this is for you," Harry whispered as he looked up at Remus, his eyes full of unshed tears.

Remus shook his head as he pulled Harry into a hug. "Of course you can, Harry. You're in just as much pain as I am. You loved him, right? So did I. Having a different relationship with him does not making losing Sirius any easier, for either of us. You're perfectly allowed to miss him, to be upset by his death. Don't ever think you have less of a right to grieve than I do."

Remus let Harry cry on his shoulder for a good ten minutes before Harry pulled away, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. "Come on, we'll be late if we don't hurry."

"We're the guests of Honour, Harry; it doesn't start until we arrive," Remus said as he gave Harry one last hug before leading the way out of the room. He glanced back at Sirius' cloak, which was left hanging on the edge of the bed. He made a split second decision and walked back, picking up the cloak and swinging it around his shoulders. It still held a trace of Sirius' unique scent, which comforted Remus greatly. He smiled at Harry, who had paused at the door to wait for him.

"Now I'm ready."

RSRSRS

The wind held a slight chill, but the clouds thankfully had held in the moisture so far. There were dozens of white chairs lined up in rows in front of a wooden podium, which sat next to an ornate marble headstone. The headstone was dark gray with pretty script writing. At the very top there was a shaggy dog etched into the marble, its head raised in a howl towards the sky.

'Sirius Orion Black'

October 14, 1959 – June 17, 1996

The Joys of Love Are Far Greater Than the Sorrows of Death

Harry sat in the front row on the left side, a seat open beside him for Remus, who was currently standing at the podium. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, the twins and the rest of the Weasley family, save Percy, were seated behind Harry and beside Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, and, surprisingly, Snape. Dumbledore was sitting on the far right in the front row, his midnight blue robes sparkling as the stars and moons glittered in the hazy sunlight. The rest of the Order and a few others were in attendance as well, including Hagrid, Madam Pomfrey, and most all of Sirius' past Hogwarts teachers.

Remus cleared his throat and took a deep breath before looking out to all the people who came to pay their respects to his late husband. It was both comforting and distressing at once. Remus caught a whiff of Sirius from the cloak he was wearing and felt himself relax.

"I want to thank you all for being here to help pay respect to Sirius' memory. Though we could not give him a proper burial, the least I could do was give him a place to be remembered at, alongside his best friend, James.

It has been only a few short weeks since I lost the love of my life. I've tried being angry with Sirius, hating him for leaving me, but I just can't do it. How could I possibly blame this on Sirius? I think the only person who _isn't_ at fault here is Sirius _himself_. If Dumbledore wouldn't have sent me on so many long missions – if I hadn't accepted the missions and left Sirius alone, if Molly hadn't been so hard on Sirius, if Harry had been expelled from Hogwarts and come to live with Sirius, maybe Sirius would still be alive. Maybe Sirius wouldn't have been so irrational when he heard Harry was in danger, or maybe he would have been; that was just Sirius' nature. Maybe if I would have paid more attention to Peter Pettigrew back then, Sirius would never have gone to Azkaban for a crime he never commit. Maybe if Sirius had actually trusted me back then he wouldn't have suspected me instead of Peter as the spy. Be all that as it may, it doesn't change what happened and it won't bring Sirius back. Placing the blame on anyone is foolish, and Sirius would not want anyone to feel at fault.

It took every ounce of strength I own, human and wolf, to not dive through that veil after Sirius as I watched him fall. It was slow, torturous, and paralyzing. What kept me from going after Sirius, you ask? Someone had to hold Harry back, and I think he held me back as well. I realized then that I _did_ have something to live for, even if I had lost Sirius; Harry. He was the surrogate son Sirius and I never got to raise, and I wanted to be here to watch him succeed, even if Sirius couldn't.

Sirius wouldn't have wanted me to give up, to follow him through that veil. I will never stop loving Sirius Black, no matter what may happen in the near or far future. He was – _is_ – my reason for breathing, and I will continue to take breath until we meet again. There is often less danger in the things we fear – death, loss, and pain – than in the things we desire – love, happiness, and peace. However, in Sirius' words, 'A life without danger isn't a life at all. Why spend your time Lying Low when you could be out there standing up for what's right and defending your freedom?' So, Padfoot, I say for you what you cannot say for yourself –

Mischief Managed."

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**A/N:** This concludes my first chapter fic, Lying Low. I'm sad to see it end, but happy to have made it through without giving up. Please leave reviews and let me know your opinions of the story overall!


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